More Details Emerge Why Denver Dismissed Malone & What’s Next for The Nuggets?

Just like when Memphis relieved Taylor Jenkins from his duties on March 8, there appeared to be an uproar or surprise at the Denver Nuggets and Michael Malone parting ways. However, both the Grizzlies and Nuggets needed a change after several years of hearing the same voice.

“Extremely shocking you would move on from a coach this late in the season no matter the circumstances, especially when he’s the winningest coach in the history of the team and led you to a championship two years ago, even if there were difficulties in the locker room or within the front office,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said about Michael Malone’s dismissal. “That he would not be allowed to have the playoffs to try to deal with it is very, very surprising.”

What’s Next For The Denver Nuggets After Firing Their General Manager and Head Coach?

Couldn’t disagree more with Windhorst’s statement. Why would the Nuggets want to keep Malone any longer when they know he will not be the coach going forward? Despite some media pundits’ belief that the Nuggets are a serious contender, they have not been in that realm for the past two seasons.

However, don’t want to disparage Malone’s job. Malone did a fabulous job with the Nuggets, leading them to seven straight winning seasons and six playoff appearances in nearly 10 seasons. He led the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA title and was 44-36 in the playoffs.

Denver took advantage of some upsets during the 2022-23 season to win the franchise’s first title. The Nuggets had the best record in the West but only the fourth-best overall. The Nuggets easily dispatched Phoenix and Minnesota in the opening two rounds. They swept seventh-seed Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals and then defeated the eighth-seated Miami Heat in the Finals.

Malone, of course, was not the only person to lose his job, as general manager Calvin Booth was also ousted. Long-time assistant David Adelman, who had served under Malone since 2017-18, takes over on an interim basis. The Nuggets also kept their other assistants.

Why Did Malone Get Fired?

Amidst his diatribe yesterday, Windhorst said that there was friction between Malone and Booth. Windhorst added that the disagreements between the two were due to Malone’s rotation, as Booth wanted him to play the team’s youngsters more.

Specifically, according to the Athletic trio of Tony Jones, Sam Amick, and Zach Powell, Booth wanted Malone to play Jalen Pickett over Russell Westbrook and Zeke Nnaji more often than Dario Saric. In addition, multiple key players lost confidence in Malone’s messaging, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

Denver entered its game against Sacramento tonight on a four-game skid. The Nuggets are in a four-way tie with the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis at 47-32. While the Nuggets currently hold the fifth spot in the Western Conference, they could fall to eighth. After facing Sacramento tonight, the Nuggets host Memphis (Friday) and then travel to Houston on Sunday.

Nuggets Biggest Issues

Granted, Denver dealt with several injuries with just seven players missing fewer than 22 contests. Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray’s health issues have caused the Nuggets some issues. But the Nuggets’ biggest issues have been their lack of quality depth and defense.

Denver has struggled mightily on the defensive end this year. The Nuggets are 19th in defensive efficiency this year, after finishing eighth in that category a season ago. The Nuggets have been much worse post-all-star break, falling to 23rd with a 118.8 defensive rating, as they are 11-13 during this stretch.

“We’re trending towards a direction that I thought would probably be a very near end to our season in the near future,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in an interview published by the team on Friday, as reason that the team to make the move at this point. “All that taken into consideration, we wanted to find a way to potentially squeeze as much juice out of the rest of the season as possible.”

“Having observed that group over a period of time, there were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at different points in time, Kroenke added. “But they would get masked by a few wins here and there.”

When Kronkes Made Decision To Fire Michael Malone

While Kroenke insisted that the Nuggets’ decision wasn’t rash, Durando reported earlier today that the Kroenkes (Josh and his father Stan who own the team) had decided days earlier to make changes to both positions at the end of the season. Durando added that the Nuggets’ current losing streak changed their thinking.

“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully,” Josh Kroenke said in a statement, “and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA championship.”

Durando also said a source told him that Malone and Booth’s bickering resulted in a culture in which “coaches don’t trust the front office and front office (employees) don’t trust the coaches.”

What’s Next For The Nuggets?

Denver still owes Malone two years of salary as the 53-year-old coach signed a contract extension that ran through 2027 during the 2023-24 campaign. Malone made $12 million this season.

Denver’s first order of business when their 2024-25 campaign concludes is to find a general manager. This will likely be in the first round or possibly in the Play-In tournament. The next step will be for the general manager to select the next head coach. This begs the question: Will Adelman be considered for the full-time gig?

Adelman, the son of former long-time NBA coach Rick Adelman, will likely get an interview. It would be a shock if he is retained. He doesn’t have any NBA head coaching experience, and probably more problematic for the 43-year-old is that he spent so many years under Malone. Also, it appears the Nuggets were planning to clean house as all of their assistants are on expiring contracts.

After those two decisions are made, the Nuggets’ next priority will be free agency and potential trades. Denver likely won’t have a 2025 draft pick, as the Nuggets owe their first-round selection (top-6 protected) to Orlando. Phoenix owns the Nuggets’ second-round selection.

Nuggets Salary Situation

Denver has 13 players under contract worth $199.4 million. That puts the Nuggets over the luxury tax and just $7.1 million below the second apron. Saric ($5.4 million) and Westbrook ($3.3 million) have player options. Earlier this month, Durando reported that Saric planned to pick up his option.

Even if Saric and Westbrook don’t pick up their options, it won’t affect Denver’s cap numbers much. So, expect the Nuggets to make a trade or two.

Would the Nuggets trade Nikola Jokic if the Joker wanted out? Jokic has two more seasons plus a player option on his deal. Michael Porter Jr. seems the most likely player to be dealt with Gordon, whose three-year contract extension begins in 2026.

Potential Candidates For General Manager

Who will Denver hire as their general manager? Durando recently listed five candidates for the position.”

Tommy Balcetis: Balcetis has been with the Nuggets since 2013 and serves as Booth’s right-hand man and the team’s assistant general manager.

Bob Myers: Myers is currently with ESPN and is the former long-time general manager of the Golden State Warriors.

Tim Connelly: Connelly, the Nuggets’ general manager from 2013-22, is currently the Minnesota Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations.

Matt Lloyd: Matt Lloyd was promoted to Minnesota’s general manager after serving three seasons in the Timberwolves’ front office. He previously spent 10 years in the Orlando Magic’s front office.

Will Dawkins: Dawkins has been Washington’s general manager since 2023. Prior to joining the Wizards, he spent 15 years at Oklahoma City, rising to the title of vice president of basketball operations.

10 Head Coach Candidates

In the same token, Luca Evans of the Denver Post mentioned nine possible candidates—including Adelman—for the potential Nuggets head coaching vacancy.

Of the nine candidates listed, Vogel and Cassell are the most intriguing. Vogel is a championship coach whose teams are known for their defensive prowess. He has a .532 career winning percentage and is 49-43 in eight NBA playoff appearances.

Cassell has been a candidate for several NBA jobs, but the 55-year-old has never been chosen. He is seen as one of the top assistants in the league.

Jenkins is the most logical candidate at this time, as several candidates already have head coaching jobs in the league. Stevens, who helped Boston to three Eastern Conference appearances as a coach and a 2024 NBA championship, would make a lot of sense if he were interested in returning to the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Fernandez is in his first season as Brooklyn’s top man. So, Denver would likely have to trade for Fernandez if the Nets were even willing to let him go. D’Antoni, Budenholzer, Snyder, and Hammon don’t make sense.

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