After a strong 2020-21 regular season ended in a disappointing, injury-shortened playoff run, the Lakers purged their depth for a three-star build around LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Despite coming off of a far more disappointing season, the Lakers will now return more players from their disastrous 2021-22 season than they did from the previous one.
That potentially higher retention rate is more due to above-average bargain shopping than any kind of advanced planning, as the Lakers will likely guarantee three of their youngest players’ low-cost contracts. Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel will combine to make less than $6 million next season.