The Denver Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and said they would not extend general manager Calvin Booth’s contract Tuesday, just days before the end of the regular season.
David Adelman, the Nuggets’ lead assistant, will take over as head coach for the remainder of the season.
The shocking decision to fire the coach and eventually part ways with the general manager who won a championship in 2023 comes at a time when the Nuggets (47-32) have lost four straight games and are in danger of falling into the play-in. It has been a frustrating stretch for the Nuggets as three-time MVP and current MVP candidate Nikola Jokic has tried to keep things together while Jamal Murray has been out for five straight games with a hamstring injury.
There have been moments when players have shown emotions on the sideline with even the normally calm Jokic displaying rare frustration recently while on the bench trying to sort out the Nuggets’ struggles. The Nuggets have gone 11-13 since the All-Star break.
CoachTeam/title seasonNick NurseRaptors (2018-19)Frank VogelLakers (2019-20)Mike BudenholzerBucks (2020-21)Michael MaloneNuggets (2022-23)– ESPN Research
When the Nuggets entered this season, sources told ESPN that there was growing tension between both Malone and Booth that grew into a “cold war.” Since the team won the championship, the Nuggets have gone with younger role players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson around the team’s core of Jokic, Murray and Aaron Gordon. Veterans like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown left in previous summers during free agency to sign bigger deals elsewhere.
Malone had been with the team for 10 seasons, leading the Nuggets to their lone NBA championship. He had a 471-327 record.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a team statement. “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 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.”
Booth was promoted to be the Nuggets’ GM for the past three seasons after Tim Connelly left for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Booth’s first season was Denver’s championship season in 2022-23.
“I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years,” Kroenke said. “And most importantly for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship. 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. We are grateful to Calvin for his eight years with the Nuggets and know his place in Nuggets history as our first championship-winning GM will be honored for years to come.”
Adelman, the son of former head coach Rick Adelman, has been an assistant by Malone’s side for eight seasons. He interviewed for head coaching vacancies with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers last summer.
Jokic now moves forward without the only head coach he has had for his entire career.
“There is no amount of gratitude that we can properly convey to his contributions since he joined our franchise in 2015,” Kroenke said of Malone. “It is with our utmost respect that we would like to thank Coach Malone for the most successful decade in Nuggets history, setting the all-time wins record and helping deliver Denver our first championship.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania contributed to this report.
