LAS VEGAS — One earthquake pre-empted another.

In the span of one surreal night, the NBA’s landscape shifted demonstrably toward the Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard’s decision to sign with the Clippers, and their subsequent trade for Oklahoma City’s star forward Paul George, tilted the NBA’s pecking order toward Los Angeles.

That it wasn’t the Lakers is a massive win for the rest of the NBA and, by default, the Nuggets.

Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP, held the league in suspense for days before convincing George to make a trade request and uproot his comfortable, if tricky, situation with Oklahoma City. Now the Lakers have a worthy adversary that happens to reside in the same building.

League executives and insiders were blindsided by the moves. All that’s left in the rubble is a Western Conference that’s there for the taking.

As many as six teams –the Clippers, Lakers, Rockets, Jazz, Blazers and Nuggets — can realistically talk themselves into an NBA Finals run this upcoming season. Coincidentally, at least half of those teams were well represented Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas when the league’s tectonic plates shifted.

Before an actual earthquake abruptly halted play, LeBron James sat courtside Friday night taking in the scene. At first he was there to watch his Lakers. Later, he sat first row to witness the Zion Williamson show. (James was also pleasantly treated to a dunk contest highlighted by New York’s sensational center, Mitchell Robinson.)

Lost in the madness of last night, here’s LeBron James … wearing a Lakers hat that says “LeBronland”. Feel like “Singerland” wouldn’t sell as well. pic.twitter.com/FfPX6jvwKA — Mike Singer (@msinger) July 6, 2019

Anthony Davis, who caused multiple franchise fissures with his trade request in January, sat to James’ left. To his left was Rich Paul, their super-agent who ostensibly orchestrated the first tremor of the summer. And two seats to the trio’s right was P.J. Tucker, the glue guy tasked with patching up bruised relationships in Houston.

All were profoundly impacted by Friday night’s events.

That’s to say nothing of the Nuggets, whose coaches and front-office members were as transfixed as everyone else on what Williamson was doing in his debut. Unbeknownst to last season’s No. 2-seeded Nuggets, the Clippers were in the process of mounting a substantial threat.

In the aftermath of the literal earthquake and before the figurative one, the Nuggets were scrambling to figure out whether they had an actual game to play Friday night. Initially, there was talk of moving their Summer League opener next door to the Cox Pavilion.

Owners Stan and Josh Kroenke were there. Gary Harris, Will Barton, Torrey Craig, Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee, originally all there to see Michael Porter Jr.’s debut, waited impatiently to hear a resolution. The entire front office congregated in the concourse, a bizarre holding pattern before the NBA eventually canceled the game.

Less than two hours later, news of the league-altering deal broke.

Since the start of free agency, the Jazz, Blazers, Clippers and Lakers have stocked up on pieces to contend. They all sensed an opening with the demise of Golden State’s dynasty. Rather than look externally, the Nuggets are more than content to build from within, even if it’s not a sexy strategy. Related Articles Keeler: How special is Jamal Murray? Just ask LeBron James, who’s got the bruises to prove it.

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The addition of Porter, who should be fine for training camp after suffering a sprained left knee Wednesday night, is a significant one. Getting Harris, Barton and Juancho Hernangomez healthy is another boon for the Nuggets that has been largely overlooked this offseason. Retaining Paul Millsap, even at a significant price tag, is integral to their progress.

Any trade the Nuggets might make is far more likely to occur during the season, according to a league source. Even though there is concern about how dangerous a Leonard-George pairing will be, Denver likes where it’s at.

The Rockets, who have endured a rocky offseason, are the only other Western Conference contenders outside the Nuggets that will have their same core pieces intact heading into next season. Every other team has a learning curve in front of it as new pieces adjust to old parts. That and the 14 playoff games Denver experienced this past spring are why the Nuggets are comfortable sitting out the transaction season.

The Nuggets love their foundation. Whether it’s strong enough to endure the shifting ground around them remains to be seen.