• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 17, 2025

Nuggets Fire Head Coach in Stunner Right Before Playoffs

Ten days before the NBA playoffs begin, the Nuggets pushed out head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth.

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

With 10 days before the NBA playoffs begin, the Denver Nuggets pulled a stunner: The organization fired head coach Michael Malone and did not extend general manager Calvin Booth’s contract, the team announced Tuesday. There are three games left in the regular season and the team is currently fourth in the Western Conference standings. The news was first reported by ESPN.

Booth and Malone led the Nuggets to win the NBA title in 2023. Their departures come just a week after the Grizzlies fired coach Taylor Jenkins despite the team clinching a postseason berth.

“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship,” team governor Josh Kroenke said in a statement announcing both moves. David Adelman will assume the head coach role for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

“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,” Kroenke added.

Malone’s firing comes during Denver’s first four-game losing streak since March 2023, which has impacted the team’s playoff seeding and has the Nuggets just a game from falling into the Play-In Tournament. 

Booth took over the front office in 2022 after general manager Tim Connelly left for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and signed a multi-year extension with the organization the same year. But Booth’s contract was reportedly up at the end of the season and the team decided not to renew it. Malone signed a new contract in November 2023 that extended him through 2027. The Nuggets hired Malone in 2015 and he was one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NBA before being fired. 

Booth and Malone sparred for years behind the scenes over roster construction; Malone preferred veterans while Booth liked the young players he drafted. Before the start of the current season, Malone addressed reports of tension between them. 

Calvin and I shouldn’t always agree,” Malone said. “If we’re always agreeing, then we’re not really accomplishing what we need to accomplish. But through those decisions and through those conversations, you come to a greater good. And this is a reality. You look across the NBA landscape, teams are letting great players walk because they don’t want to approach that really dirty word of ‘second apron.’ 

“And as a coach, I have to educate myself because I put blinders on [and think,] ‘How do we win the game tonight,’” Malone continued. “But I have to give respect to Calvin, I have to give respect to Josh [Kroenke] and understand that it’s more than just tonight. It’s also a much bigger perspective on how we’re going to be set up for success, not just tonight and this season but for down the road.”

While Booth and Malone didn’t always work together harmoniously, one didn’t outlast the other, which wasn’t the case in Memphis. Jenkins was fired by general manager Zach Kleiman, who replaced multiple assistant coaches on his staff this past offseason and changed the team’s style of play. But Jenkins appeared to be struggling to reach players in the weeks leading up to his dismissal. 

Urgency is a core principle of ours,” Kleiman said to reporters after firing Jenkins. “My expectations are clarity of direction.”

The Nuggets have a champion core led by center Nikola Jokic, 30, who is going for his fourth MVP award in five seasons this year. Additionally, the team has a talented supporting cast which includes Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr., giving Denver a chance at a deep playoff run this season. 

The Nuggets won the 2023 title over the Miami Heat and currently boast the league’s seventh-largest payroll at roughly $182.5 million, which has them in the luxury tax, but beneath the second apron. But contract extensions to Porter and Gordon will owe them a combined $200 million over the next three seasons, which will limit the team’s roster flexibility and impact its championship window. 

If we don’t win it this year,” Porter said to ESPN in November, “we all know they might have to break it up.” 

For the Nuggets, Tuesday might just be the beginning. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 12, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of ESPN broadcast camera during a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

ESPN’s New NBA Segment Resists Hot Takes

LeBron James tweeted in favor of the new segment.

NBA Season About to Tip Off With New TV Deal—but No LeBron..

James will reportedly be out until mid-November.

Steelers’ Shared Stadium With Pitt Comes Under Fire for Bad Turf

The conditions at Acrisure Stadium have been subpar this season.

Featured Today

May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Derek Jeter walks the red carpet on Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Players’ Tribune Is Still Kicking 11 Years Later

Founder Derek Jeter is still closely involved in the publication.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive
October 10, 2025

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.

For Yankees, It May Be ‘Business As Usual,’ but Title Drought Lingers

GM Brian Cashman says a salary cap is not at the forefront of his mind.
October 13, 2025

RAJ Sports Withdraws Lawsuit Over Trail Blazers Stake

RAJ Sports had sued the Cherng family, owner of Panda Express.
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli (12) celebrate their first and third place at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
October 15, 2025

Mercedes F1 Team Rides With Russell, Antonelli Despite Verstappen Link

Russell took the Formula One seat at Mercedes in 2021.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
October 13, 2025

Titans Turnover: Brian Callahan Firing Adds to Pattern of Instability

Tennessee fired coach Brian Callahan six games into his second season.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws as quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks on during rookie minicamp May 9, 2025, in Berea.
October 9, 2025

Browns Paying $41.6M to 8 QBs, but Only 2 Are on Their..

Cleveland traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals this week.
October 9, 2025

The Yankees’ $319M Roster Flopped. Now Comes the Hard Part: 2026

The MLB club’s current contracts limit its flexibility somewhat for next year.
October 6, 2025

Connor McDavid Signs Short-Term Deal, Eyeing Oilers’ Cup Window

The three-time Most Valuable Player signs for below his market value.