The Nuggets are coming up short in free agency

• The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency to the Orlando Magic, and have yet to find a replacement for the sharpshooting guard.
• Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, this year's Western Conference champions, picked up Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors. And Oklahoma City, who held the conference's best regular season record, signed Isaiah Hartenstein to an $87 million deal, as first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

State of play: One big name said to be on Denver's radar is Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, a former All-Star and league MVP.

• The Clippers are interested in a trade, and the Nuggets are looking at acquiring Westbrook, the Denver Post reported, noting his experience, skill set and affordability. Reports indicate that star center Nikola Jokic called Westbrook personally to recruit him.
• "The most tangible known interest in Russell Westbrook continues to come from Denver," NBA insider Marc Stein reportedly said.

In the meantime, the Nuggets are adding some fresh faces to the ranks.

• The team drafted rookie forward DaRon Holmes II, added guard Trey Alexander of Creighton on a two-way contract, and signed forward Gabe McGlothan of Grand Canyon to a one-year minimum-salary deal.

What to watch: NBA rules say teams could begin singing free agents to contracts starting Saturday and Denver still has two roster spots to fill.