LeBron James is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers -- seriously, say that aloud, it's a real thing -- and now the team's front office is trying to fill out the roster around him. Already, three free agents have agreed to sign with the Lakers -- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson -- but there is more work to be done. Let's take a look at what Los Angeles is working with and what might happen between now and the start of the season. 

What does the roster look like now?

Very different than it did at the beginning of the day. Caldwell-Pope's one-year, $12 million deal essentially took away the Lakers' available cap space, at least as long as restricted free agent Julius Randle's cap hold is on the books. McGee will sign a veteran minimum deal. Stephenson will take the $4.4 room exception. If Los Angeles renounces Randle, it would open up about $10 million of cap space. Waiving Luol Deng using the stretch provision would open up about $10 million more.

Here's an extremely early look at the roster, including Deng and not including the unsigned Randle:

There are unanswered questions here. Are the Lakers thinking of McGee as a potential starter? Is there a point of going into the season with both Wagner and Zubac? Could Deng, who only played in the season opener last season, possibly revitalize his career next to James? The depth chart could look pretty different soon.

(Note: Second-round pick Svi Mykhailiuk has not yet signed a contract, but could make the team)

What about trading for Kawhi?

This does not look easy, regardless of how much he wants to be in Los Angeles. If the Lakers want to get Leonard now rather than signing him next summer, they would have to be extremely creative or be willing to part with most of their young core. A trade of Ingram, Kuzma and a couple of picks might sound fair, but it doesn't work because Los Angeles wouldn't be sending out enough salary. Trading Ingram, Ball, Hart and Zubac would do it, but that is probably too much. 

That said, let's not count the Lakers out here. When there's a will, there's a way.

Who else could come to Los Angeles as a free agent? 

The Lakers want to preserve their 2019 cap space, so any prospective free-agent addition would have to accept a one-year deal. A minimum contract might also be a necessity, depending on what the front office decides to do with Randle and Deng (a note on Deng: If he's stretched, Los Angeles has more flexibility this offseason, but he would cut into its cap space next summer and count against the cap for $7.4 million every year until 2022).

I thought it would make sense to try to bring back Brook Lopez and/or Channing Frye. Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania reported that center Nerlens Noel, who is represented by Klutch Sports, is considering signing with the Lakers. They probably don't want to use five roster spots on centers like last year's Warriors did, though. 

Since Carmelo Anthony is close friends with James, you will definitely hear rumors about him coming to Los Angeles if he receives a buyout from Oklahoma City. You might even hear rumors about Dwyane Wade going back on his word about finishing his career in Miami in order to give it one more go with LeBron. 

If I were in the Lakers' front office, I'd look at both Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell for backcourt help. On the wing, I'd see if Wayne Ellington would consider returning to Los Angeles. LeBron loves playing with stretch bigs, so I'd inquire about Anthony Tolliver and Davis Bertans, too.  

So what exactly is the deal with Randle?

The Lakers have four options:

  • Renounce him and use the cap space they create to strengthen the roster. 
  • Re-sign him to a long-term deal (this seems unlikely, given the circumstances).
  • Re-sign him to a one-year deal (this allows him to get a big, short-term raise and allows them to preserve their 2019 space).
  • Sign-and-trade him (this rarely happens these days, but it can work if the team that receives the signed-and-traded player stays under the apron).

Of course, Los Angeles doesn't hold all the cards here. Randle can sign an offer sheet with another team and then the Lakers' decision will be simple: match or let him walk.