Kendrick Perkins Says The Los Angeles Lakers Are “Winning” After Signing Former Miami Heat Guard Gabe Vincent

Gabe Vincent, who was unable to make a deal with the Miami Heat, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Miami Heat losing point guard Gabe Vincent to the Los Angeles Lakers drew mixed reactions. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is among those expressing excitement for the addition of Vincent and forward Taurean Prince.

“This means Rob Pelinka is doing his thing right now,” Perkins said. “I know it’s early, but the Lakers right now are winning in this free agency. No way in hell you’re gonna tell me adding Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince don’t put them in the mix of things and address areas that need to be addressed. Prince is a 3 and guy with size, length and athleticism on the wing. And Gabe Vincent, we saw what he did. Last year he was consistently probably the second best player on the Miami Heat team that went to the Finals. You damn near got two for one.”

Vincent was arguably the Heat’s third-best player in the playoffs, averaging 12.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He had several breakout scoring performances, establishing himself as a solid point guard in the starting unit.

The Lakers were in the conference finals but were swept by the Denver Nuggets. One of the biggest concerns was the point guard position, occupied previously by D’Angelo Russell. Russell’s tenure in Los Angeles started off well but slowly declined as the year progressed. Against the Nuggets, Russell averaged just 6.3 points on 32 percent shooting. Vincent can provide solid scoring and defense, which may be the piece the Lakers need to contend.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.