New York Knicks fans should know Gabe Vincent fairly well. The Knicks have faced his team twice in the playoffs, including during the first round last year, when he was with the Atlanta Hawks.
Those fans almost had the opportunity to become even more familiar with the 30-year-old. On his Substack, NBA insider Marc Stein wrote:
“The Stein Line has learned that former Heat, Lakers, and Hawks guard Gabe Vincent could have signed with the Knicks as well to join the wing battle but elected to wait for a more sure-fire opportunity.”
Given the state of New York’s roster, Vincent made a wise choice not to sign with the Knicks.
Vincent doesn’t fill a need for the Knicks
Standing at 6-foot-2, Vincent is strictly a backcourt player. The Knicks’ roster is already filled with smallish guards.
New York already has three players listed at Vincent’s height: Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek. Jose Alvarado is two inches shorter.
The team also has Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench, who can both be utilized in the backcourt. A player such as Vincent isn’t exactly the Knicks’ biggest need.
If Vincent signed with New York, it wouldn’t have been on a standard contract. He would have joined on an Exhibit 9 deal, as Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji, James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks, and John Konchar have.
Those five veterans are set up for a training camp battle where only one is likely to make the team by opening night. The Knicks can’t sign two unless they deal someone already on a guaranteed deal, or else they will enter the second apron.
Looking at the Knicks’ roster, the team could certainly use a third big in case it were ever without Karl-Anthony Towns or Andre Drummond for any length of time. That would give the two centers on training camp deals, Wiseman and Eubanks, an advantage.
For his career, Vincent has knocked down 33.8% of his three-point attempts. Last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Hawks, Vincent averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 assists.
The seven-year NBA player was also on the 2023 Miami Heat team that defeated New York in the conference semifinals. He started all six games of that series. In the series, Vincent didn't shoot well, but he made some timely baskets to help eliminate the Knicks.
Vincent would have faced long odds of winning the training camp battle with the Knicks. He can wait for an inevitable injury elsewhere and have a team give him an established role.
Add us as a preferred source on Google