Editor's note: As part of "The Stein Line" every Monday, ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein gives his take on things in "Slams and Dunks."

For the first time in three Februarys, Juwan Howard will not be traded before Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline. Howard's $20.6 million salary, in the final year of his expiring contract, can drop off Denver's salary cap in July as soon as it renounces its rights to the player. Which makes Howard -- his cap number, actually -- the financial foundation for the Nuggets' plan to start all the way over this summer and remake their roster.

	Juwan Howard will be on the move again, but this time, he'll be packing his bags in the summer.

This time, Howard will have a grace period of calm until summertime. That's when he'll headline an intriguing group of free-agent power forwards -- none of whom is expected to contend for major riches, but all of whom figure to attract significant interest.

Most of them have been mentioned in trade speculation during the past month because, like Howard, they're also in the final year of their contracts: New Orleans' P.J. Brown and Elden Campbell, Cleveland's Tyrone Hill and Philadelphia's Derrick Coleman.

Coleman is the most likely of those four to be dealt this week, but there should be no shortage of opportunity for movement in the offseason. Size-deficient clubs like Orlando and the Lakers, with little to offer in trades for such players, are counting down the days until free agency enables them to pursue a veteran power forward.

Howard and Utah's Karl Malone, both earning in the $20 million range this season, are the most enticing names on the list ... provided that they'll be willing to sign for the $4.5 million mid-level exception for a shot at joining a contender. Expect Howard, in fact, to jostle with Portland's Scottie Pippen for that $4.5 million slot with the Lakers.