The Atlanta Hawks acquired Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for Luke Kennard ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Vincent will help the Hawks with ball handling and perimeter defense off the bench, but his contract is a key factor in this deal.
Breaking Down Gabe Vincent’s Contract After Trade
Vincent signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Lakers in 2023 as a free agent. He made $10.5 million in his first season, $11 million in his second, and the Hawks now owe him $11.5 million for the 2025-26 campaign.
Importantly, Vincent’s deal expires this summer. The Hawks traded Kennard’s expiring contract for Vincent’s and also netted a second-round pick. This gives the Hawks more cap flexibility over the summer in the free agent market. General Manager Onsi Saleh has emphasized optionality since becoming the head basketball decision-maker last year, and this move continues that theme.
The Hawks had a $13.1 million traded player exception (TPE) they created in the Bogdan Bogdanović deal last season. It expires on Feb. 6, so the Hawks absorb Vincent’s contract into that exception and create an additional $11 million TPE from this Kennard-Vincent transaction. The new TPE can be used to facilitate a future deal without having to match salary.
Hawks can take Vincent into the Bogdanovic TPE and create a new one. https://t.co/SADiABS58F
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) February 5, 2026
Vincent originally signed with Los Angeles to serve as the backup point guard, and he likely plays a similar role in the Hawks now. Over his two-plus seasons in Los Angeles, injuries have limited him to just 11 games in 2023-24 and 29 games so far this campaign. He hits free agency when he turns 30 years old this summer.
Vincent averaged 4.8 points and 1.3 assists, shooting 34.6% from the field in 19.3 minutes per game this season. When LeBron James made his season debut after missing the first 14 games, Vincent’s role as a ball handler off the bench diminished. Head coach JJ Redick could stagger Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and James.
The Hawks traded away the league’s most efficient 3-point shooter in Kennard, but Vincent gives them more ball-handling and better perimeter defense. The former undrafted prospect joins veterans CJ McCollum, Corey Kispert, and recently acquired Buddy Hield in the Hawks’ bench backcourt. Vincent is the best on-ball defender out of that group.
It will be interesting to see how head coach Quin Snyder adjusts his rotation after the trade deadline week settles. Vincent likely plays some backup point guard minutes, but McCollum will have the ball in his hands more due to his shot creation and scoring ability. Vincent likely guards the opposition’s best perimeter scorer if foul trouble keeps Snyder from staggering Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
