The Los Angeles Lakers went from potential NBA Championship contenders to early offseason participants in the blink of an eye.
Despite having the crypto.com Arena crowd's support, the Lakers couldn't keep their playoff dreams alive as they fell 103-96 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. It was a humbling elimination for the Lakers, who have plenty of needs general manager Rob Pelinka can't afford to ignore this summer.
Change is a two-sided coin, though, meaning Los Angeles must get rid of various veterans to make room for incoming reinforcements. When it comes to those who could be moved this offseason, one Lakers guard likely sealed his fate with a forgettable Game 5 performance.
Gabe Vincent Sealed His Lakers Future With Awful Game 5 Performance
Several Lakers deserve to be sent packing after their brief five-game playoff run, including Gabe Vincent. The veteran point guard was practically invisible throughout the elimination game, further proving he doesn't deserve the $33 million contract he signed nearly two years ago.
Despite playing a postseason-high 26 minutes in Game 5, Vincent couldn't make an impact. The 28-year-old guard missed the only two field-goal attempts he took (both three-pointers) and only generated two assists with three rebounds, taking a trio of personal fouls along the way as well.
Now that the Lakers' postseason is over, Vincent finishes his latest playoff run with a lowly average of 2.8 points while shooting 35.7% from the field and 30.8% from deep. Those numbers are extremely disappointing after the former UC Santa Barbara product looked like he had finally turned things around during the second half of the regular season.
Now that the Lakers' attention is on the offseason, don't expect Vincent to stick around for long. The underperforming veteran is a prime offseason trade candidate as he's set to carry a $11.5 million cap hit in the final year of his contract. Chances are that the Lakers will want to use his salary in some kind of trade, whether that's to replace Vincent with another point guard or to bring in a reliable starting center.
Unless Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick see something in him that fans don't, it's time for the Lakers to cut ties with Vincent this offseason. He just isn't contributing at the level that his salary implies, and it's in both sides' best interest to start fresh this summer.