FORMER LAKER KEEPS QUIET ABOUT TRADE.

Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer

How does it feel to go from NBA royalty to the pro basketball dungeon within hours? How does it feel to leave a team with 61 wins for a team with 11?

Only Nick Van Exel knows for sure and he isn't saying much.

A day after being traded by the talent-rich Lakers to the rebuilding project known as the Denver Nuggets, Van Exel was silent Thursday. He did not return phone calls from Lakers management and wasn't talking to the Nuggets either.

If Van Exel refuses to report to Denver for a physical exam by Monday afternoon, the trade could be jeopardized, but neither team sounded concerned Thursday.

Agent Tony Dutt declined to say what his client's plans were.

``Obviously, it's tough,'' Dutt said. ``He liked L.A. I guess he was more in favor of kind of sticking it out, if he could.''

But Van Exel's employer opted for a change in team chemistry, giving the

Nuggets new hope - ``an All-Star . . . we're going to build this team around,'' said Nuggets general manager Dan Issel - while posing new questions for the Lakers, who could turn over two-fifths of their starting lineup.

With the departure of Van Exel, a fixture at point guard in the post-Magic Johnson era, the Lakers lose about 15 points and 7.5 assists per game. They also are likely to lose free-agent small forward Rick Fox, who provided 12.0 points per game and solid defense this season.

And the team whose greatest self-described weakness was inexperience actually got younger Wednesday night by adding rookies Tyronn Lue, Sam Jacobson and Ruben Patterson and second-year pro Tony Battie.

If the Lakers opened the season today, third-year guard Derek Fisher - solid, but not an All-Star - would start in Van Exel's old spot; either underachieving Elden Campbell or Battie - dubbed ``El Busto'' by Issel - would start in the front court, pushing Robert Horry into Fox's vacancy.

In other words, the Lakers probably are not done retooling.

``We have a lot of players on our team now, and a lot of people talk to us about our players,'' executive vice president Jerry West said, ``and we think that there's going to be opportunities for us to do other things, if we feel it's prudent.''

Nothing will happen before the NBA's expected lockout begins July 1. But the Lakers hope once league business resumes, the new labor agreement might include a new salary cap that lets them re-sign Fox and, perhaps, a new structure that makes it easier to deal Campbell and his $7 million salary.

Until then, the picture of the Lakers' offseason efforts to build a championship team remains fuzzy. The following points of interest are a bit more clear:

Fisher gained the most from the deals, apparently cementing himself as the starting point guard on an elite team just as he became eligible for a contract extension. He could profit both off and on the court.

``We wouldn't have made the trade unless we were comfortable with (Fisher),'' West said. ``I think our coaches always felt that maybe we need a little more experience back there, but Derek Fisher is the kind of point guard that any coach would like.''

Kobe Bryant, also heading into his third year, also up for a contract extension this offseason, also figures more prominently. Stuck behind Eddie Jones at off guard, Bryant could end up as the starting small forward if Fox is gone but otherwise will find more playing time at point guard.

``I want to look at the combinations with Kobe and Eddie and Derek,'' coach Del Harris said. ``There will be a three-guard combination to start with and we'll work the young guys in, as we're presently constituted. Perhaps there will be other changes. If this were our roster right now, that's what I would be thinking.''

The Lakers' free-agent picture also comes into slightly clearer focus. The arrival of Jacobson, a shooting guard, eliminates whatever remote chance there was of Jon Barry returning and makes Shea Seals a long shot. Adding Battie and Patterson could push Mario Bennett off the roster.

Ultimately, all the answers might be found in one more major deal - Campbell to a team in need of a center and with a starting power forward to trade. The Lakers concentrated Wednesday on the Van Exel swap, but a Campbell deal remains a possibility in the coming months.

``I think when someone makes a lot of money and certainly doesn't play a lot of minutes, there's every reason to believe you want to get a lot more bang for your buck,'' West said. ``But (Campbell) is an extremely valuable player to us. . . . We just would not give him up for a player that would be insignificant.''

TRANSITION GAME

Here's a breakdown of the Lakers roster as it exists today, with new arrivals in bold face:

GUARDS: Eddie Jones, Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Tyronn Lue, Sam Jacobson

FORWARDS: Elden Campbell, Robert Horry, Corie Blount, Tony Battie, Ruben Patterson

CENTERS: Shaquille O'Neal, Sean Rooks

FREE AGENTS: (as of July 1) F Rick Fox, F Mario Bennett, G Jon Barry, G Shea Seals

POSSIBLE STARTING LINEUP (If season began today): O'Neal, Campbell, Horry, Jones, Fisher

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) Van Exel

(2) BATTIE

(3) LUE

(4) JACOBSON

(5) PATTERSON

BOX: TRANSITION GAME (see text)