Stunner in Denver: Nuggets Fire Coach Michael Malone, Won’t Extend GM Booth with Playoffs Around the Corner
In a jaw-dropping move just days before the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone and announced they won’t extend general manager Calvin Booth’s contract—despite the team sitting near the top of the Western Conference standings.
The decision comes with only three games left in the regular season, a time when most playoff-bound teams are fine-tuning, not hitting the reset button. Denver, currently 47-32, is still in the hunt for home-court advantage in the first round and has already secured at least a play-in berth.
David Adelman will step in as interim head coach for the rest of the season, according to the organization.
“It is with no pleasure that we made this change,” said Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, the team’s ownership group. “But after careful evaluation, we believe this is the best move to give our group a chance at competing for the 2025 NBA championship and bringing another title to Denver.”
This marks the first time in NBA history that a team bound for the postseason has fired its coach with so few games left in the regular season. The closest comparison dates back to 1983, when the New Jersey Nets lost coach Larry Brown six games before the playoffs—though he left voluntarily for a college job.
Malone wasn’t just another coach—he was the architect of a decade-long transformation in Denver. Since arriving in 2015, he led the Nuggets to eight consecutive winning seasons and the team’s first-ever NBA Championship in 2023.
Under Malone:
- 471 regular-season wins, the most in franchise history.
- Seven consecutive playoff appearances (including this year’s projected entry).
- Two Western Conference Finals appearances (2020, 2023).
- A dominant 16-4 playoff run to the 2023 title.
Despite a strong season led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokić, who’s averaging a near triple-double (30 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists), the Nuggets have dropped four straight games, including a 125-120 loss to Indiana on Sunday.
Malone shouldered the blame postgame:
“I’ll start with me… We haven’t lost four in a row in a long time. It’s easy to say ‘family’ when you’re winning. The real test is when you’re losing—can you stay together?”
Jokić, usually composed, was visibly at a loss when asked what’s wrong:
“I don’t know. Maybe we just… I don’t know, actually.”
It seems the front office decided that “maybe” wasn’t good enough.
GM Calvin Booth, who joined the franchise in 2017 and became general manager in 2020, will not have his contract renewed.
Kroenke praised Booth for helping “put the final pieces in place” for the 2023 championship squad, adding:
“Calvin’s knowledge and passion for scouting took our organization to new heights.”
The Nuggets aren’t the only playoff-bound team making late-season coaching changes. Memphis recently parted ways with coach Taylor Jenkins, making Denver the second team in two weeks to make a major move so close to the postseason.
The question now: Can a shake-up this big ignite a title run? Or will it unravel the chemistry that took Denver to the top just one year ago?
The Nuggets head to Sacramento to face the Kings on Wednesday—without their championship coach, and with everything still to prove.
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