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Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press

Don't let the start of this NBA summer fool you—the real offseason fireworks for the Los Angeles Lakers won't come before 2018.

That's when a collection of front-line free agents will reach the open market, and the Lakers will try to sell them a purple-and-gold dream of becoming part of the Association's next superpower.

It's an audacious undertaking, and one that's already driving the franchise's decisions. LA dumped D'Angelo Russell to help clean its financial books two years after making him the second overall pick. And the drafting of Lonzo Ball could provide the glue that binds a superteam together.

But the work is far from finished. There are more moves worth contemplating between now and the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, all of which work to improve the 2018 picture.

From salary dumps to sneaky recruiting efforts, we have broken down five potential trades to brighten the Lakers' outlook.