What's next? Where the West's 2nd-round casualties can go from here

Every year, 29 teams fall short of the ultimate goal, and every year those 29 teams are left asking themselves how they can take the next step.

With the Western Conference's second round in the books, here's a look at how the two eliminated teams might go about answering that question:

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets will head into the summer with as much clarity and roster stability as any team that's been bounced from the postseason to date. Their core is young, cohesive, and hugely promising, led by a 24-year-old top-10 player in Nikola Jokic who's perhaps the most unique superstar in the league. They just got some important high-leverage reps, during which all of their young guys performed about as well as could've been expected.

Moving forward, every single rotation player is under contract next season, though Paul Millsap has a $30-million team option. That's a lot of dough for a 34-year-old who's a fourth or fifth option on offense at this point, but it's hard to imagine Denver not bringing him back after the enormous defensive impact he had throughout the regular season and playoffs. The Nuggets could create close to $20 million in cap space by letting Millsap walk and non-tendering Trey Lyles, but there aren't really any free agents in that price range who bring what Millsap brings.

The most likely outcome may be the two sides reaching an agreement whereby the team declines Millsap's option and re-signs him for multiple years at a lower annual value. That might allow the Nuggets to sign a free agent using a portion of their mid-level exception while staying out of the luxury tax. It's unsexy stuff, but this team is already good enough that a couple of tweaks in the margins may be enough to position it as the West's heir apparent.

Of course, just because the Nuggets can stay the course, it doesn't mean they will. If they're inclined to join the bidding for Anthony Davis, they could put together as attractive a trade package as anyone. If they deem that too risky, they can aim lower and go after someone like Jrue Holiday or Mike Conley. Having a more traditional point guard to steady their offense when 3-pointers aren't falling would be pretty helpful, even though Jokic basically functions as one on offense.

A lot of the Nuggets' decisions, this summer and beyond, will come down to how much faith they have in Jamal Murray. On one hand, his inconsistency and defensive deficiencies have come back to bite them at various points over the past two seasons, and his inability to get to the free-throw line hampers his efficiency as a scorer. But he's also developed wonderful pick-and-roll chemistry with Jokic, and has the potential to grow into one of the game's best shot-makers. He's still just 22 years old.

Murray is eligible for an extension this offseason, and he'd be justified in pointing to the max rookie extensions inked by the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Devin Booker and demand the same. We'll see if Denver bites. - Joe Wolfond

Houston Rockets

Of all the 2019 playoff teams that came up short, it's tough to think of one that will rue its defeat as much as Houston.

Here stands a veteran team led by an MVP in his prime and a future Hall of Fame point guard at the tail end of his - a team that publicly stated it wanted a crack at the mighty Warriors last spring and then spent all season gearing up for a rematch.

The Rockets had a shot. They had Golden State on the ropes in 2018, but collapsed under the weight of Chris Paul's injury and 27 consecutive missed 3-pointers. This year, they rallied from a 20-point deficit in Game 5, watched Kevin Durant exit with a calf injury, and still found a way to lose. The series then slipped away at home a couple of nights later.

How do you go from that level of heartbreak when the stakes are highest to emotionally investing in the monotony of another regular season come October? The Rockets will have to find a way, and largely with the same cast, because they're capped out and don't own single pick in the upcoming draft.

That's fine. The Harden-Paul-Capela trio is locked up through 2022. Invaluable postseason performers Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker remain under contract for another year. That core five should still be good enough to take another shot at breaking through in 2020, especially if free agency deals the Warriors the death knell Houston never could.

Ideally, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey finds a secondary scoring option to slide between Harden and an aging Paul, but that seems far-fetched given Houston's lack of tradeable assets. A more realistic approach would be finding cheap veteran shooters and versatile defenders who fit the team's mold. Will pending free agents Austin Rivers and Iman Shumpert, who both provided midseason boosts, return to fill those voids?

In any event, though perspective is hard to find in the immediate aftermath of a disappointing defeat, it's worth remembering that while these Rockets may have already blown their best chance, it shouldn't be their last. - Joseph Casciaro