Gabe Vincent explains decision to leave Heat in free agency: ‘It was very difficult’

Life moves fast. Just ask Gabe Vincent.

Just two days after making his decision to leave the Miami Heat to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, Vincent watched the Heat and Lakers face off in a summer league game in Sacramento on July 3.

“It was crazy,” Vincent said of that experience to the Miami Herald. “It was almost like you couldn’t have scripted it any different. Right after, I was able to make it down to the game and to catch both teams and the coaching staffs and to catch up, it was awesome.”

But not everything about the last few weeks has been awesome. Vincent called his first real free-agent experience “overwhelming,” as he entered free agency hoping to return to the Heat but ended up signing with the Lakers after not receiving the offer he was looking for from Miami.

“I don’t think it was easy,” Vincent said during an appearance this week on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and the Three” podcast. “Miami was the team that gave me an opportunity. I grew while there. We had some great runs while I was there, so it wasn’t easy.

“I don’t think it’s any secret, I was pretty open about willing to go back, wanting to go back and my love for the organization and I think it was reciprocated. But when it came down to it, business got in the way and there were certain points that the Heat could only get to and other teams were able to get to more. It just kind of made more sense at the end of the day. Business played a role, but also just situations.”

The Heat’s final offer to Vincent was a four-year deal worth about $34 million ($8.5 million per season), according to a league source. Vincent ended up taking the Lakers’ three-year offer worth $33 million ($11 million per season).

The fact Florida has no state income tax helped close the gap between the two offers, but it wasn’t enough to keep Vincent in Miami.

And with the Heat entering free agency already deep into the luxury tax, even just adding $2 million to Vincent’s salary for this upcoming season would have added more than $5 million to the team’s tax bill based on Miami’s current salary cap situation.

“It was very difficult,” Vincent said of leaving the Heat during his appearance on “The Old Man and the Three” podcast. “The relationships that I have with those guys are, to me, lifelong. Even the guys that I played with, to the staff, to the front office. I got to know all of them very well and closely. So it wasn’t an easy decision. It was a huge draw to come back, for sure. But it had to make sense for me and my family. I couldn’t just make a decision.

“But this is no love lost. I got nothing but love for those guys over there. The continuity piece was playing a major role and obviously the taxes play a major role. You think they’ll get close enough and let’s try to make it work. But it’s business for them. And it was kind of tough because they could have done it, but it would have been a big salary cap tax. I understand that from the business side. If I could understand that, I know they understand it well. Maybe things will align down the road. Until then, you got to try to get the Lake Show a ring.”

Vincent, who went undrafted out of UC-Santa Barbara in 2018, left the Heat after becoming one of the organization’s undrafted success stories. He spent the last four seasons with the Heat after initially joining Miami on a two-way contract midway through the 2019-20 season.

After Kyle Lowry went out with a knee injury this past season, Vincent took over as the Heat’s starting point guard on Feb. 4 and remained in that role through the NBA Finals. Vincent played on a minimum salary of $1.8 million last season.

Vincent, who turned 27 on June 14, averaged career-highs in points (9.4 per game) and rebounds (2.1 per game) while dishing out 2.5 assists per game and shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 33.4 percent from three-point range in 68 games (34 starts) this past regular season. He also provided quality perimeter defense in the Heat’s man and zone schemes.

Vincent then started each of the 22 games he appeared in during the Heat’s playoff run. He averaged 12.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 37.8 percent on 6.1 three-point attempts per game during this year’s playoffs, including a 29-point performance in a win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

In four seasons with the Heat, Vincent averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 39.9 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc in 195 regular-season games (68 starts). Vincent’s NBA debut came with the Heat on Jan. 27, 2020.

“It means the world to me,” Vincent said to the Miami Herald of his time with the Heat. “It will forever have a special place in my heart and I hope that they know that. It’s been expressed. I hope the city knows it. I gave all that I had and unfortunately we fell short this past season. But being along for that ride and competing with those guys, it meant the world.”

What will Vincent miss most about the Heat?

“I’ll miss my teammates, to be honest,” Vincent said to the Miami Herald. “Obviously, the weather, as well. I’m sure it’s incredibly hot right now. But I’ll miss it, for sure. I’ll miss those guys. I’ll see them and I’ve still been in touch with them on the phone with them. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be going to Max [Strus’] camp even though he’s no longer with them, as well. We do a good job of staying in touch.”

The free-agent departures of Strus and Vincent leaves the Heat’s roster for this upcoming season looking different. A potential trade for seven-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard would force more big changes.

For Vincent, he’s also preparing for something new as he joins the Lakers to play in his home state of California.

“Obviously, it’s a business. We knew it would be a business,” Vincent said to the Miami Herald. “I had to be open-minded, obviously. Unfortunately it didn’t work out with the Heat, but fortunately I found a new home and it seems like it’s a good fit.”

SUMMER LEAGUE HEAT

The Heat improved to 2-1 in Las Vegas Summer League with a 91-72 blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Orlando Robinson and Jamal Cain led the way for the Heat, combining for 49 points on 34 field-goal attempts.

Heat first-round picks Nikola Jovic (rest) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (shoulder) did not play in the victory.

The Heat completes its summer league back-to-back on Friday against the Denver Nuggets (8:30 p.m., NBA TV) for its fourth of at least five games in Las Vegas. A win over the Nuggets could send the Heat into the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals for a chance to compete for the title.