The Denver Nuggets came as close as anyone did to defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs. Nikola Jokic and Co. pushed the NBA champions to a seventh game in their second round series. Unfortunately, injuries to Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon resulted in an 125-93 blowout. Heading into the offseason, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke is cautious.

In his end-of-season press conference, Kroenke expressed his concern over how to approach the offseason. According to him, Denver's injury problems need to be considered when deciding whether or not to go into the second apron.

“I think that for us as an organization, going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we're scared of,” Kroenke said. “I think that there are rules around it that we need to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured and very quickly you're in a scenario that I never want to have to contemplate, and that's trading #15.”

Teams that are in the first and second apron are extremely limited when it comes to their financial flexibility. With a team with as many big contracts as Denver has, it is important that they build smartly around them, either through the NBA Draft or via smart trades.

However, things could go south. Here is a path that could end in Kroenke having to at least consider trading Jokic away.

1. One of Denver's stars gets injured

While the Nuggets did not see any of their players tear an ACL in the postseason, they dealt with injuries. Porter Jr. nor Gordon were nowhere near 100% entering Game 7 against the Thunder. The result was a lackluster effort that left Nuggets fans wondering where they could turn moving forward.

Both players expect to be fully healthy heading into next season, but the threat of re-injury looms large. If Gordon, Porter Jr., or Jamal Murray go down with a serious injury, even Jokic's excellence might not be enough to carry the Nuggets deep into the postseason.

Almost every team in the Western Conference believes that they are ready to seriously contend for a title. As long as Denver has a healthy Jokic on their roster, they are included in that conversation. The two-time MVP had a legitimate argument to win his third this season and is regarded as the best player in the NBA. However, all it takes is one tragic play for that all to change.

2. The Nuggets' young talent does not develop

Since they drafted Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Nuggets have struggled to identify top-tier prospects. Selections like Christian Braun and Porter Jr. have been good, but players like Zeke Nnaji and Jalen Pickett have underwhelmed so far. In an NBA world where the draft is more important than ever, Kroenke's team cannot afford to keep missing.

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For better or worse, Denver does not have to worry about the NBA Draft this season. The Nuggets have no picks unless they decide to trade for one on the night of the draft. However, they will have a rookie play for them next season in DaRon Holmes. The former Dayton Flyer tore his ACL during Summer League and has not played a single minute with Denver.

The Nuggets have surrounded Jokic and the starting lineup with young players with high potential. However, the team needs that potential to be realized in order to compete without climbing into the second apron.

3. Nikola Jokic becomes unhappy

Jokic has said throughout his career that he enjoys playing in Denver and does not want to leave the Nuggets. The Serbian center still has three years left on his current deal. However, he has not yet signed his extension, which could be a power move to put some pressure on Kroenke and the front office. Pleasing their star has become more important than ever for modern NBA teams.

Even if Denver struggles out of the gate and can't recover, Jokic asking for a trade is unlikely. However, if the All-NBA big man decides that his best chance to win a title lies elsewhere, there is little the Nuggets can do to stop him.

If he did become available most of, if not all, of the teams in the league would be interested. A Jokic trade would mark the end of an era in Denver, sending them back into another rebuild.

What Kroenke alluded to is the worst-case scenario for the Nuggets. However, if Denver is not careful with their future, it could easily become their reality.