The Denver Nuggets fired longtime coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday in a stunning organizational reset that came just days before the end of the NBA regular season.
Malone, 53, departs the Nuggets as the franchise’s winningest coach with a record of 471-327 (.590) during a 10-year tenure, which included the first championship in franchise history in 2023. David Adelman, a Nuggets assistant since 2017, will step in as interim coach.
Booth, 48, joined the Nuggets in 2017 as assistant general manager and had served as general manager since 2020. The former NBA player was in the last year of his contract after signing an extension in 2022.
Malone, a former NBA assistant, spent two seasons coaching the Sacramento Kings before he was hired by the Nuggets in 2015. Over the following decade, Malone guided the development of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray, steadily building Denver into a perennial playoff threat.
“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully,” Nuggets executive Josh Kroenke said in a statement. “We do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere. While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.”
The Nuggets have made the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. Last season, their title defense ended with a Game 7 collapse at home in a second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Denver (47-32) entered this season as one of the leading championship contenders, but it suffered through an uneven stretch of games in March and is on a four-game losing streak. With just three games remaining, the Nuggets, who entered Tuesday in fourth place in the Western Conference, have dealt with cycling lineups because of injuries and are at risk of falling into the play-in tournament.
The fiery Malone was harshly critical of his team following a March 21 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, saying he had delivered a “brutally honest message” and suggesting that his players weren’t properly committed.
“That was just a joke. I’m embarrassed by that game and by our approach,” Malone said. “Each guy needs to look themselves in the mirror and come into each respective game with the proper mindset and have some pride. The guys that are full of s—- won’t hear it. They’ll say, ‘Coach is tripping.’ … Nobody watches their minutes. Nobody watches film. We’ll have to show them the film. I said, ‘If somebody disagrees with me, please speak up’ – and nobody said a word.”
While Jokic has continued to perform like an MVP candidate, the Nuggets’ defense has fallen off considerably since last season and ranks 20th. Denver lost starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency last summer, and forward Aaron Gordon has missed significant time because of injuries.
“The most disappointing part of this season is the huge drop-off [on defense],” Malone said after a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. “That’s a severe drop-off. You just can’t rely upon your offense to outscore teams. … We have to get this bad taste out of our mouth. It’s driving me crazy.”
Booth had preached the desire to create a sustainable roster of talent around the 30-year-old Jokic, but Denver lost several players in free agency, including Jerami Grant, Bruce Brown and Caldwell-Pope. The Nuggets’ recent draft picks have provided uneven contributions, and last summer’s gamble on Russell Westbrook has hit an especially rough patch in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets have the NBA’s seventh-highest payroll and limited cap flexibility because of major contract obligations to Jokic, Murray, Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.
“I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years and, most importantly, for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship,” Kroenke said in his statement. “Calvin’s knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights, which we will continue moving forward.”
The Nuggets are the second team to fire their coach during the run-up to the playoffs, which begin April 19. The Memphis Grizzlies fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins late last month.
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