Lakers suddenly have a crowded rotation, and trimming it is going to require sacrifices

The Lakers might not have enough minutes for everybody this upcoming season

Barring an unexpected trade, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to have one of the most financially lopsided rosters in NBA history. The trio of Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis combine to make over $120 million in the 2021-22 season, and individually, all three of them will make more than the $32.2 million owed to the entire rest of the roster. At the moment, the Lakers have more players making the minimum (seven) than not (five). If they fill out their three remaining roster spots with minimum salary players, they will have twice as many players at that salary as not.  Player Minutes Per Game (2020-21) Russell Westbrook 36.4 LeBron James 33.4 Anthony Davis 32.3 Kendrick Nunn 29.5 Trevor Ariza 28 Carmelo Anthony 24.5 Wayne Ellington 22 Malik Monk 20.9 Talen Horton-Tucker 20.1 Kent Bazemore 19.9 Marc Gasol 19.1 Dwight Howard 17.3 Total 303.4 That reality made the Lakers particularly appealing to free agents expecting to make roughly the minimum. The presence of those three superstars ensures contention, but the lack of depth beyond them ensured that playing time would be available. The Lakers were able to build a roster largely around minimum-salary players in part because they could sell free agents on the idea that they could play major roles in their rotation. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Kent Bazemore turned down more money and years from the Golden State Warriors to join the Lakers partially because he believed they'd be able to give him a bigger role. Other free agents likely held that same belief. Joining most contenders for the minimum means competing with incumbent role players for playing time. Joining the Lakers meant competing with other minimum-salary free agents.  And therein lies one of the biggest challenges awaiting Frank Vogel this season. Despite starting the offseason with practically no depth, the Lakers managed to recruit a roster that, in some ways, is overflowing with it. There are 240 minutes of playing time available in a basketball game. With three roster spots left to fill, the Lakers already have players who averaged over 300 minutes per game last season.