The Denver Nuggets appeared content with their role as Western Conference upstarts after their emerging club extended the Lakers to seven games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

After the Carmelo Anthony fiasco two seasons ago (before he was eventually traded to the Knicks), general manager Masai Ujiri decided to depend less on one superstar and more on depth and youth. The strategy has been successful since Ujiri took over two years ago, but with a chance to add an All-Star-caliber player over the summer, the young GM injected his club into the Dwight Howard trade discussions.