Leave it to the Denver Nuggets to end the Dwight Howard drama.

According to sources, the Orlando Magic officially put an end to the Howard fiasco on Thursday night. The Magic dealt the talented big man to the Lakers in a four-team blockbuster deal in which the Nuggets landed Andre Iguodala on Thursday night.

Orlando also received Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington and a protected pick from each team.

Iguodala’s unique style of play is a perfect  fit for the Nuggets fast-paced style. But the addition of Iguodala came at a price, as Denver lost Afflalo and Harrington – who were two of the leaders on last season’s team.

The Nuggets also traded a draft pick in the deal.

Probably the biggest lost in the trade was Harrington’s production off the bench. He was among the top scorers off the bench in the NBA last season. But there was a logjam at the forward position with Wilson Chandler returning from overseas and the development of Jordan Hamilton. It is also an opportunity for newly acquired Anthony Randolph to step up and get playing time, but until then Chandler will step into the role that is voided by Harrington’s absence.

The deal also helps the Lakers, who squeaked by the Nuggets in the first round last season, and strengths their squad which seemed to be playing on their final leg last season. The Lakers also added Antawn Jamison and Steve Nash in the offseason.

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) goes up for a shot against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Wes Johnson (4) and forward Kevin Love (42) during the foruth quarter at the Target Center. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 117-100. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

After an impressive win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, the Denver Nuggets have gone north of the border and will face some familiar faces in the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors have made it a habit of collecting former Nuggets as Sonny Weems, Gary Forbes, Anthony Carter and Linas Kleiza have all played with Toronto. Weems is currently playing overseas and Carter was recently waived, but Forbes and Kleiza are each in the rotation for the Raptors. Forbes scored a career-high 21 points on Monday against the Orlando Magic, while Kleiza is averaging 9.6 points this season.

Toronto also tried to sign Wilson Chandler when he returned from China, but couldn’t free up enough money to lure the small forward to Canada.

The Nuggets have beaten the Raptors nine straight games and if the streak is to continue, Kenneth Faried needs to contain Raptors’ big man Andrea Bargnani.

Bargnani missed the first game between the two teams and is averaging 18.8 points – while shooting only .42 percent from the field. He isn’t a great post player and does most of his damage on perimeter – which is where Faried usually struggles on defense. Antawn Jamison (33 points), Josh Smith (33) and Dirk Nowitzki (33) have all taken advantage of the rookie’s inexperience on the perimeter and no doubt Toronto will attempt to do the same.

One matchup that should be in Denver’s favor is at point guard. Ty Lawson is coming off of a game in which he scored 27 points against the Chicago Bulls and will be facing a depleted Toronto backfield. Backup Jerryd Bayless suffered a season-ending injury on Monday, leaving Jose Manuel Calderon as the only true point guard on the roster.

Like the Nuggets, the Raptors are better against non-conference opponents. They are 7-9 against Western Conference foes, winning three of their last four against the West. Two of their wins were against the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies and earlier this month they nearly defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.