The Lakers want to replace the injured Vincent with a better player.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who have a 22-23 record after 45 games this season, have the opportunity to improve their team before the trade deadline on February 8th. This is because they lack reliable playmaking, scoring, and point-of-attack defense.
Gabe Vincent was the team’s best offseason signing, and his absence may have had some bearing on their poor play, even if LeBron James and Anthony Davis are in better condition than they have been in any year since the team’s 2019–20 bubble title.
The UC Santa Barbara product was a key two-way contributor for the Miami Heat in their NBA Finals run, sparking the notion that he could fill a similar role with the Lakers.
Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury almost immediately, playing in just 5 games where he’s averaged just over 5 points and 3 assists on 11.8% 3-point shooting.
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They have therefore turned to Vincent to shop for possible additions at the backup point guard position.
Many names have been mentioned, including Utah Jazz player Collin Sexton and Washington Wizards player Tyus Jones.
In my opinion, it should be obvious if we can put together a package for any of those two that includes only Vincent and a first-round selection. But I believe it gets too expensive if players like D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, or even Jalen Hood-Schifino have to get involved. All of those guys are tradeable, albeit not for a backup point guard.
