The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets are on the board, not waiting until the NBA's trade deadline on Thursday to make moves they hope will bolster their playoffs chances this season.

The Pistons acquired scorer Tobias Harris from Orlando while the Hornets added Courtney Lee from Memphis to help fill the void created by the injury to Charlotte forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. In a deadline-driven league, both moves were aggressive in that they came well before the 3 p.m. Eastern time cutoff for trades to be made.

They also may serve as catapults for other teams out there shopping. The time is nearing for teams that have held cards tightly to their chests to start putting them on the table.

There are several issues teams are considering this week as they mull making significant trades. Among them is the sheer dominance of the Golden State Warriors, who have established themselves as the favorites to win the championship again this season.

As teams went into the All-Star break, there was a feeling across the league that the Spurs, Cavaliers and Thunder may be the only teams equipped to challenge the defending champions for the title. That thought process may cause several other teams just outside of that foursome to play it a little more conservatively when it comes to trades.

The Pistons and Stan Van Gundy didn't let that stop them from acquiring Harris, figuring that adding the cost certainty of the three years remaining on his deal would help them shape their vision going forward rather than look at the unknowns of free agents added this summer.

Free agency is another huge factor that will influence teams with the trade deadline looming; it's shaping up to be a free agency bonanza in July.

With a sky-rocketing salary cap, the majority of teams in the NBA will have enough cap room to add at least one max-contract player to their rosters this summer. That will create a frenetic push for the top tier of free agents, including Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant, Detroit center Andre Drummond and Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan.

So making a deal now to add an impact player, while difficult to pull off, could help a team avoid having to go all-in next summer.

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Here are some of the more intriguing teams to watch headed into Thursday's trade deadline:

ATLANTA HAWKS: Last year's feel-good season has given way to a more sober 2015-16, with a 31-24 record good for fourth in the East and the sense that they have to make a big move to vault back into contention with Cleveland and Toronto. They could be the most likely candidate to part with a key piece to make that happen, with Al Horford and Jeff Teague among the players that have been mentioned as possible trade bait.

BOSTON CELTICS: GM Danny Ainge has spent the last few years accumulating assets — perhaps most attractive is Brooklyn's unprotected first-round draft choice this June — to put him in position to make a Godfather offer to a team for one of its established stars. Now that the Celtics are a surprising 32-23 and sitting at No. 3 in the East, the time to give superb coach Brad Stevens the star he has been looking for could be right now.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: They have seemed to find their groove lately, oddly enough while star forward Blake Griffin has been out because of a quad injury and a suspension for punching an assistant equipment manager. Despite all the drama, coach and GM Doc Rivers said on Tuesday that Griffin would not be traded. But Rivers still wants to upgrade his bench and add some more scoring punch to give them every chance possible to come out of the rugged West.

TORONTO RAPTORS: Coach Dwane Casey's crew has done a remarkable job absorbing key injuries to remain as the No. 2 seed in the East. DeRozan and Kyle Lowry give them one of the best backcourts in the league and the hope is DeMarre Carroll will back with a month or so to go in the regular season to gear up for the playoffs. They are looking to add another ball-handler off the bench and a power forward that can stretch the defense with his shooting in hopes of avoiding another early playoff exit.

MIAMI HEAT: Chris Bosh has resumed taking blood thinners to treat a blood clot, the same condition that caused him to miss the final 30 games of last season. Bosh is hopeful to play again this season, but the uncertainty surrounding the situation could prompt the Heat to look for ways to bolster the roster around Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, both over 30 years old.

HOUSTON ROCKETS: One of the biggest disappointments in the league this season and with one of the most active dealmakers in the league in GM Daryl Morey is a combination that makes the Rockets an easy candidate for this list. Dwight Howard's name continues to surface in reports about possible deals as Morey looks to make changes to build a roster that better meshes with ball-dominant guard James Harden.

Henry B. Gonzalez Elementary Bobcat Shimmerz Dance Team 1st place in Varsity Pom Division at the City Of Eagle Pass 5th Annual Dance Competition held Feb 11,2016. Team members are Stephanie Ferguson,Kimberly Balderas,Jenevee Dueñes,Michelle Olvera,Ayleen Madrid,Priscilla Marquez,Ashley Gonzalez,Kayla Sanchez & Kayla Herrada. Coaches Ariana Rodriguez & Gladys Ferguson. Choreography done by Leticia Villanueva.

DENVER (AP) — Will Peyton Manning be back? Can Denver keep this top-ranked defense together? Big questions loom over the Super Bowl-champion Broncos. But Tuesday wasn't the time to think about that. Tuesday was parade day — an opportunity to bask in the spotlight of orange-and-blue clad fans after a 24-10 win over Carolina.

The victory celebration started with an outdoor concert by a trio of Colorado bands including Big Head Todd and The Monsters near city hall and the state Capitol. The sea of fans went crazy on the sunny morning as the music started. The smell of marijuana hung over the park, even though smoking pot in public is illegal in Colorado.

After the show, a downtown parade will feature the victorious players riding on fire trucks along a 1.5-mile-long route, including quarterback Peyton Manning atop Engine No. 18, after his jersey number.

People have been in the park and lining up along the parade route for hours. Classes were in session Tuesday, but school age kids mingled in the crowd. Denver schools offered students excused absences if their parents let officials know.

Mark Bedenbender, who had a prime spot along the metal barrier near Union Station, said the event is not only a celebration but likely a farewell to Manning, too.

"I think he finished on top," he said. "When he lost the game two years ago, you knew he was coming back."

Judy Ayce drove nine hours with her 81-year-old mother Dorothy Ayce from the Chinle Navajo reservation in Arizona for the parade, arriving at the Denver home of Judy Ayce's niece late Monday. On Tuesday morning, Dorothy Ayce's wheelchair was parked against a barricade. A plastic bag of drinks and snacks dangled from the chair. The family was ready to spend the day celebrating.

"We brought our mats. We brought our food. We brought blankets for Grandma," Amanda Ayce said.

Judy Ayce, speaking in Navajo, asked her mother whether she was there for all the Broncos, or especially for Manning.

"Peyton," was the answer.

"She just likes watching sports, and she's followed him for years," her granddaughter said.

Officials won't give specific turnout predictions, but the last time Denver won the Super Bowl in 1999, the downtown party drew an estimated 375,000 people. A year before that, when the Broncos won the Super Bowl for the first time, about 650,000 people showed up.

"We're probably expecting hundreds of thousands," said Mike Stott, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Hancock.

Fans began celebrating Sunday night as the clock ticked down on the Broncos' win in Super Bowl 50.

The crowd became unruly at times, but officers for the most part watched from the sidewalk. Police reported a handful of arrests, mainly for criminal mischief.

On Tuesday, the mood was light. Even some people stuck in traffic near the parade route honked at fans dressed in Broncos jerseys walked on the sidewalk toward the event.

While many took the day off, Gary Baca, chief of security for a downtown building along the route, was working. He wore a bright orange tie with his white dress shirt, and took a moment to survey the crowds he said were sending a message to the Broncos.

"I want them to understand that we as fans truly love them. The love deep down is genuine."

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- Before his whirlybird spin in the air forever etched him in NFL lore, two-time Super Bowl champion John Elway called his mother on the team flight from Pittsburgh after winning the AFC championship on Jan. 11, 1998.

"I said, 'Mom, guess what? We get to go back to the Super Bowl!" Elway recounted. "She said, 'Do we really have to go back?"

After so many Super Bowl letdowns - three losses by an average of 32 points - she wasn't sure watching her son face the two-touchdown favorite Green Bay Packers was such a good idea.

Many Denver fans are similarly pensive as these Broncos (14-4) prepare to face Cam Newton and the mighty Carolina Panthers (17-1) in Super Bowl 50 as five-point underdogs.

They swear they've learned their lessons, however, after getting shellacked by Seattle 43-8 in the Super Bowl two years ago.

They won't be beating each other up this time in full-pads practices in the lead-up to the Feb. 7 kickoff.

They're praising their opponents aplenty - a lot like the Broncos talked up the Packers 18 years ago.

They won't be soaking in the nightlife quite so full throttle once they get to San Francisco on Sunday.

They'll certainly prepare for a loud crowd this time after former coach John Fox famously turned down the speakers at practices figuring it would be like a home game only to see that plan ripped apart in all of 12 seconds.

Players and coaches have already taken care of tickets and flights for family and friends and all the distractions that go with the Super Bowl so when they return to work Thursday their focus is on football.

"We got spanked last time. I felt bad for a month and a-half, two months," said wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the lone bright spot that night in the Meadowlands when Seattle's sideline-to-sideline supremacy rendered his Super Bowl-record 13 receptions a footnote.

"He played great," Elway said in the aftermath of that blowout. "If we all played like he did, we'd have won."

Elway was asked after the last Super Bowl letdown how long it took him to get over his three Super Bowl losses.

"I'm not over them yet," he shot back. "I just added this one to it."

Elway remade his team after its 35-point loss to the Seahawks. He committed $109.5 million by adding free agents DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward. The trio has helped turn Denver from an offensive juggernaut that had scored an NFL record 606 points behind Peyton Manning's record-breaking run in 2013 into a defensive team.

Two years after taking the league's No. 1 offense to the Super Bowl, the Broncos bring the NFL's No. 1 defense, one that battered Tom Brady with an incredible 23 hits Sunday.

The Broncos also changed their offensive identity this season with the hiring of coach Gary Kubiak, who installed a better ground game and a plan for Manning to share snaps with Brock Osweiler in practice.

The plan came in handy when Manning missed six weeks with a foot injury and Osweiler kept the Broncos rolling right along. And the ground game finally came on behind a new O-line in Kubiak's zone blocking scheme.

Even though it's been inconsistent, "I like what we're doing offensively," Elway said. "I like the system, obviously, having played in it and knowing that you can win world championships with it."

Elway changed coaches a year ago, befuddled by Fox's teams losing their last game by a cumulative 150-66. He said he wanted a team that would "go down kicking and screaming."

That toughness has been on display all season.

Denver's model is no longer lighting up scoreboards but grinding it out, hanging around and making big plays at the end. It's a formula that's seen them win an NFL record 11 games by seven points or less, including 23-16 over Pittsburgh and 20-18 over New England in the playoffs.

"The mindset to me is that you know we play for 60 minutes - even though we haven't consistently played well for 60 minutes - you know our mindset has been there. And that's why this team is a tougher team because it's a mentally tough one," Elway said.

This time, it's Newton and the Panthers bringing the high-octane offense to the Super Bowl and the Broncos sporting the star-studded secondary and ferocious front-seven.

They're hoping this dynamic makes a difference - and like the Broncos teams of '98 and '99 they'll make their nervous mothers proud.