Lakers Urged to Waive Gabe Vincent to Sign All-Star Big

The Los Angeles Lakers may need to waive either Gabe Vincent or Maxi Kleber to sign Nikola Vucevic, who could reportedly be a free agent soon.

Unlike other contenders, the Lakers can offer Vucevic only a veteran minimum deal and would need to waive Vincent or Kleber, per Trevor Lane of LakersNation.

While answering fan questions on his podcast on July 28, Lane explained how the Lakers could land Vuc.

“One option could be to waive and stretch the salary of Gabe Vincent or Maxi Kleber. You can do that with either guy,” he said. “So the question becomes: would that be the preferred path rather than give up that second-round pick, have $3.6 million in dead money sitting on your books?”

As Lane alluded to, the other option would be to package Vincent and Kleber’s expiring contracts, along with a second-round pick, to land Vucevic via trade.

Lakers Feasting in Buyout Market

The Lakers have benefited the most from the buyout market this offseason, with their acquisitions of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart.

While they signed Ayton to a two-year, $16.6 million deal, they inked Smart, the former Defensive Player of the Year, to a two-year, $11 million contract. Both contracts were viewed as feasible only because the duo received buyouts from their former teams.

The Lakers were forced to waive Jordan Goodwin and Shake Milton to sign Smart.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Luka Doncic played a critical role in recruiting both Smart and Ayton.

“Luka Dončić is not contract extension-eligible until Aug. 2, but his first summer as a Laker has already been a busy one,” Stein wrote. “Soon to begin his (whoa) eighth NBA season, Dončić was a lead recruiter in the Lakers’ pursuits of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart via the NBA’s increasingly robust July buyout market.

“I’m told that the recent Dončić pitch, once Washington granted the 31-year-old and his agent Jason Glushon permission to talk to other teams in search of a post-buyout landing spot, particularly resonated with Smart and helped lead the former Defensive Player of the Year to choose the Lakers over a determined push by the Suns to land the former Celtic.”

Will Doncic Recruit Vuc?

Stein wrote in his Substack that Doncic showed his commitment to the Lakers by recruiting both Smart and Ayton. Could he do the same with Vucevic?

“External fretting about Dončić committing his long-term future to the Lakers, meanwhile, has dissipated considerably thanks to the contributions made by the 26-year-old throughout free agency in collaboration with vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka,” Stein wrote.

If and Vucevic hits free agency, he’s expected to command interest from the Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Boston Celtics, per multiple insiders. The Lakers and Warriors were also the most aggressive suitors for the two-time All-Star ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Ultimately, the Bulls held onto Vuc as no team could match their asking price.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Chicago Bulls are expected to buy out Vucevic’s expiring contract of $21 million due to a lack of trade market for the big man.

“There hasn’t been much of a market for Nikola Vucevic all along, dating back to last trade deadline,” Fischer told Bleacher Report. “I think at this juncture, we’re probably more likely to see a Nikola Vucevic buyout midseason than we are to see a trade.”