As of right now, the only thing that can definitely be said about the Los Angeles Lakers' starting lineup for opening day is that Kobe Bryant will be involved in some way. Andrew Bynum might not, Pau Gasol will possibly be elsewhere, who knows who's starting at point guard and small forward is as up in the air as any other position.
There's a lot of intrigue surrounding Gasol, who could be traded to numerous teams, and there is a bit of intrigue surrounding Bynum, who is most likely either playing for the Lakers or Magic this fall.
However, if you believe Jim Buss, the Lakers aren't going to look much different on opening day when compared to their final game of the season, as he's said they aren't looking to make any drastic changes.
So, with 20 percent of the lineup pinned down, let's take a look at what the team could be made up of by the time the roster comes together and plays their first game come October.
Who's Not Starting
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With the money situation the Lakers have going on right now and the value that young players seem to have over veterans, you'd have to imagine the vast majority of last year's bench players will be back in some fashion this year.
That being said, guys like Christian Eyenga, Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris won't be starting. The same can be said for Josh McRoberts, who is probably not returning.
Otherwise, the Lakers could very well end up starting Steve Blake, Ramon Sessions (should he return), Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes (should he return).
Aside from that, the starting lineup depends upon whether or not a trade goes down, which is a possibility, despite Jim Buss' coyness.
Who Starts After an Andrew Bynum Trade?
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Should the Lakers roll the dice on a trade of Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard (a notion that is increasingly unlikely at this point, as he really wants to go to Brooklyn), it will shake things up.
L.A. would likely end up taking Hedo Turkoglu back in that deal as well, which would pose an interesting question at small forward. Does the washed-up lump or crazy man start?
In that case, the lineup would definitely feature Dwight Howard at center and probably Turkoglu at small forward with Metta World Peace coming off the bench.
While the shouts have been coming from all over to amnesty World Peace, I just can't see how it would make sense at this pointâ€"from the team's perspective at least. World Peace is a body on the floor, and he's more capable than a replacement veteran minimum guy, since cutting his salary isn't enough to get them the cap space to sign a free agent.
It seems best to keep World Peace, let him exercise his player option next season and trade him as an expiring contract. Then, he has some value to a team looking to shed salary.
What Comes Back in a Pau-to-Houston Deal?
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While a deal between the Lakers and Houston Rockets seems increasingly unlikely as the days wear on, it's still not out of the realm of possibility because Houston was still looking to trade for him back in March.
The trade would likely bring back multiple pieces, but probably only two starting lineup-caliber players in return.
Pau Gasol would likely net the Lakers Kyle Lowry (who basically has the plague in Houston at this point) and Luis Scola, who has also been shopped recently.
It's hard to see how that trade hurts the Lakers because it would bring back a starting point guard and a power forward who is very much like Gasol.
What Comes Back in a Gasol-to-Atlanta Deal?
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While a trade would seemingly fill a hole for the Lakers, a Pau Gasol-Josh Smith swap would inevitably spell disaster for the Lakers.
Smith would have an even bigger reason to lurk around the three-point line to jack up threes with Andrew Bynum doing what he does in the middle. Plus, he would be taking ball time away from Kobe Bryant. Neither are good things for the Lakers.
Beyond that, it doesn't seem like there's much more that Atlanta would have to offer L.A. in starters beyond Zaza Pachulia (who's a starter by technicality, really), since they seem very attached to Jeff Teague.
Plus, it doesn't seem like Gasol is worth both Smith and Teague with the price of his contract factored in.
What Comes Back in a Gasol-to-Minnesota Deal?
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Minnesota started their bid to get back into the playoffs on draft night when they made it known they were trying to trade for that No. 2 pick that the Bobcats had. It was widely assumed that that pick would then be parlayed into someone like Pau Gasol, Andre Iguodala or Rudy Gay, but it never went down.
However, with that thought in mind, it still seems likely that the T-Wolves have some interest in Gasol, who would pair interestingly alongside Kevin Love.
The Lakers would likely be free to choose between Chase Budinger and Derrick Williams (Williams seeming like the better choice there), Luke Ridnour would probably be involved over J.J. Barea (Ricky Rubio is more or less untouchable) and potentially Darko Milicic to make salaries match.
What you get there is Derrick Williams coming in to start at small forward and Ridnour and Steve Blake to play point guard.
Deron Williams Still on the Table?
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In what is probably the biggest stretch of any of these trades, the Lakers are still interested in grabbing Deron Williams from the Brooklyn Nets in a sign-and-trade deal, despite the fact that the Nets aren't interested in Gasol.
This trade would likely only bring Williams in return for Gasol, meaning they would essentially swap a starting power forward for a starting point guard.
Whether that trade makes them better or worse is still up in the air.
Iggy to LA?
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Finally, the last guy that has been connected to the Lakers in a possible trade over the past few weeks has been Andre Iguodala.
Philadelphia has shopped Andre Iguodala for what seems like every season in the past decade, but still hasn't pulled the trigger.
However, with a big man like Gasol coming in return, that might change. Philadelphia would likely include no more than a few middling players like Lavoy Allen or Nikola Vucevic in such a trade, meaning the only starter coming back in that deal is Iguodala.
So What Happens?
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In short...nothing.
It doesn't seem like anything out there right now is lucrative enough for the Lakers to flip Gasolâ€"save the Rockets trade. However, Houston seems to be done pursuing Pau. It just makes more sense at this point to keep the team together and look again at the trade deadline or even next season.
Other than a dark horse team sneaking in and offering up something big for Gasol, like Toronto should they land Steve Nash (a package centered around Andrea Bargnani, for sure), it seems better for Gasol to stay in Los Angeles.
Elsewhere, while Ramon Sessions is playing the free-agent market, he's probably just out there gauging his worth, but the Lakers will ultimately pay him because they hold his Bird Rights and can offer him a decent deal even though they're over the salary cap. The same goes with Matt Barnes.
So, the starting lineup as of right now looks pretty much the same as it did the day that Metta World Peace elbowed James Harden in the noggin with Sessions, Kobe Bryant, World Peace, Gasol and Andrew Bynum filling out the starting five.
It seems that the best the Lakers can do this summer is bolster their bench, which is probably the best idea.
If you are one of those twitterers, you can follow me @JDorsey33.
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