Sam Smith

OK, now the fun starts.

If you think the NBA was back in play with the NBA draft Thursday and a week filled with juicy rumors of trades supposedly involving Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Jermaine O'Neal, wait until this summer.

Because then Kobe Bryant also comes back in play, though no one is able to figure out what even makes sense anymore if the Lakers for some incredible and surprising reason were to accede to Bryant's demands and trade their upset star. Or was that New York Knicks' draft night trade for Zach Randolph just step one in Isiah Thomas' master plan to bring Bryant to New York City, where Bryant would like to play.

Yes, it could be NBA gone wild this summer with the draft and trades of Randolph and Ray Allen only the appetizer.

First there are the free agents, and though it generally has been assumed that Chauncey Billups would re-sign with the Detroit Pistons, the Pistons' picks of all guards in the draft suggests they may be concerned about losing their star point guard. Also, Billups could see the Pistons on the way down and decide to cast his future with a younger team, like maybe Orlando with top East center Dwight Howard.

Seattle's big draft day deal of Allen and selection of Kevin Durant raises questions about the future of free agent Rashard Lewis. Perhaps he won't want to be official second fiddle to Durant or in what appears to be a rebuilding situation with a team likely without a home soon. Vince Carter will opt out of his contract, but with no major moves by the Nets, the guess is he re-signs there.

There's a question about Darko Milicic because if Orlando pursues a big-time free agent like Lewis or Billups, they'll likely have to renounce Milicic and he'll be a free agent to sign elsewhere. And what of teammate Grant Hill, who has heard from most of the top teams in the league as he's not expected to be seeking big money?

There aren't a lot of teams with cap room to pursue free agents, but there are some intriguing players who could opt for long term exception deals if they choose to re-sign elsewhere or be involved in intriguing sign-and-trade maneuvers, like Gerald Wallace, Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Andres Nocioni, Jason Kapono, Luke Walton, Jerry Stackhouse, Morrris Peterson, Earl Boykins and Chris Webber.

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And then it really gets interesting.

Of course, there is Bryant, and no one has ever even seen the corner he seems to have painted he and the Lakers into.

It's not like the Lakers have many options other than making a move for a bigtime player, like Jermaine O'Neal, Kevin Garnett or Pau Gasol.

Fortunately for the Lakers, they’re likely all available and could be traded this summer.

It seems less likely someone like Amare Stoudemire would be dealt, though Stoudemire probably hasn't completely closed the door on places like Chicago and Los Angeles with Kobe. That it could happen within the division seems unlikely.

But if the Suns could get Kevin Garnett, who knows? There's some feeling around the NBA that with Garnett, Marion and Raja Bell the Suns would have the defense to complement their offense and better compete for a title.

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It would have to be some sort of multi-team combination, but say, just for discussion sake, the Timberwolves would end up with Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, the Hawks unprotected No. 1 from next season, which Phoenix holds from the Joe Johnson trade, and a Lakers or Suns No. 1 and expiring contact of Kurt Thomas. That could make sense for everyone. And what about pairing Stoudemire with Garnett, as proposed leading up to the draft?

And there's still Jermaine O'Neal out there with the Lakers and Pacers previously laying the groundwork for a trade. And you know Gasol probably is not far from another trade demand.

Last season, just weeks after returning from a broken foot, he asked Memphis management to trade him. Since then when no trading deadline deal was made, Gasol backed off, but has said he expects the Grizzlies to be competitive. Though Mike Conley Jr. should eventually be a good point guard, the Grizzlies probably are the worst team in the Western Conference. Maybe the Kings, but it's close. So it's probably only a matter of time before Gasol loses it again. Figure the Grizzlies again will test the market about him this summer.

And they, too, could be in position to take pieces from the Lakers, like Bynum, in a deal that could send Gasol to the Lakers. Though Bryant might not think that near enough

Yes, this was just the beginning.

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