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Latest On Firings Of Nuggets Coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth

April 8th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The sudden firings of Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth blindsided virtually everyone around the league, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link). Windhorst said the moves were driven by the team’s ownership.

“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,” Windhorst said. “That he would not be allowed to have the playoffs to try to deal with it is very, very surprising.”

Moving on from Booth was much less eye-opening, except for the timing of the move. In fact, it was anticipated that this would be Booth’s last season in the organization.

“This was less surprising to the league, however, because Calvin Booth’s contract is up after this season. They’ve had negotiations throughout the season and it broke down, it wasn’t going well,” Windhorst said.

There was friction between the coach and GM, mainly due to Booth wanting Malone to play his recent draft picks more often, according to Windhorst.

Here’s more on the Nuggets late-season purge:

  • The remainder of the staff held onto their jobs, at least through the rest of the season, The Athletic trio of Tony Jones, Sam Amick and Zach Powell report. David Adelman was named interim head coach. The assistants are all on expiring deals, however, which signals a much different staff could be in place next season.
  • Expanding on the notion Booth was upset about rotation moves, The Athletic noted that Booth wanted Malone to play Jalen Pickett over Russell Westbrook during the stretch run. Booth was also unhappy that Zeke Nnaji, who was signed to a four-year deal, hasn’t gotten much playing time and that another free agent signee, Dario Saric, fell out of favor with Malone before December.
  • The team’s defensive decline played a significant part in the recent rise in organizational frustration, The Athletic adds. Denver has lost its last four games, mainly due to defensive breakdowns.
  • The coaches were frustrated by, among other things, recent front office-led additions to the coaching staff, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
  • Nikola Jokic was informed of the decision earlier today before it was announced, Matt Moore of Action Network tweets. Jokic had not requested a change in the front office or coaching staff, though his frustration with the way the team has performed this season played a role in ownership’s decision-making process.
  • A panel of ESPN insiders shared their thoughts on the firings, including how the moves might affect their playoff run and Jokic’s future, particularly since he’s extension-eligible this offseason.
  • In an interview posted by the team and relayed by Nuggets reporter Katy Winge (Twitter link), team governor Josh Kroenke said he didn’t make a rash decision. “Having observed that group over a period of time there were certain trends that were very worrisome to me at different points in time. But they would get masked by a few wins here and there,” he said.
  • Booth had a diplomatic response to losing his job, Jones tweets. “I don’t have any regrets. I did my job to the best of my ability,” he said.
  • Negotiations between Booth and ownership regarding an extension was at the “one-yard line” early this season before Booth turned down Kroenke’s offer, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reports.
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Nuggets Fire Coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth

April 8th, 2025 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Maher

12:46pm: The Nuggets confirmed in a press release that both Malone and Booth have been let go.

“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,” Josh Kroenke said as part of a larger statement.

12:30pm: The Nuggets are firing head coach Michael Malone, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Denver is also firing general manager Calvin Booth, according to Charania (Twitter link).

Malone was dismissed in a meeting earlier today, Charania reports. The 53-year-old helped Denver win its first NBA championship less than two years ago.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne hears that vice chairman Josh Kroenke informed Malone and Booth of the news this morning (Twitter link).

According to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link), longtime assistant David Adelman will be the Nuggets’ interim head coach. Adelman has been the acting coach a few times in the past when Malone was unavailable.

The timing of the news is pretty shocking, primarily because there are only three regular season games remaining on Denver’s schedule. The Nuggets have dropped four straight games, including a dispiriting loss to Indiana on Sunday, and are in danger of falling into the play-in tournament.

Denver is currently 47-32, the No. 4 seed in the West, but sits only a half-game ahead of four other teams who have one fewer win and the same number of losses.

Malone had been the head coach of the Nuggets for nearly 10 years, having been hired in June of 2015. He is the organization’s all-time leader in wins, compiling a 471-327 record (.590 winning percentage) during the regular season and 44-36 mark in the playoffs (.550).

According to Charania (Twitter link), Malone’s ouster is tied for the latest coaching change in NBA history, matching Hubie Brown being let go by Atlanta back in 1980/81. Malone is the second longtime coach of a potential playoff team to be fired in the past two weeks, joining Taylor Jenkins, who was dismissed by Memphis.

While Malone was reportedly under contract through 2027, Booth was on an expiring deal. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Booth and the Nuggets failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension before the 2024/25 season began (Twitter link).

A former NBA player, Booth had been with the Nuggets for eight years, having been promoted to GM in 2020. Although he was not formally given the title of president of basketball operations, he had been atop the front office hierarchy since 2022, when former president Tim Connelly was hired away by the Timberwolves.

Multiple reports last year indicated that Malone and Booth often butted heads and had differing views on the best way to build around superstar center Nikola Jokic. Instead of keeping one or the other, the Nuggets have decided to part with both before the season concludes.

Forward Michael Porter Jr. acknowledged at beginning of the season that major changes could be in store if the Nuggets failed to win a championship in 2025. Surprisingly, the team decided to make some of those changes before even seeing how the rest of ’24/25 played out.

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Five West Teams Have 32 Losses In Regular Season’s Final Week

April 7th, 2025 at 1:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder clinched the No. 1 seed entering the Western Conference playoffs two-plus weeks ago, but the remaining 19 postseason seeds are up for grabs in the final week of the 2024/25 regular season, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

There isn’t too much drama in the East, with the Cavaliers and Celtics leading the conference for the entire season. Four other clubs — the Knicks, Pacers, Bucks and Pistons — are guaranteed of making the playoffs, while the Magic, Hawks, Bulls and Heat will be in the play-in tournament. But the final seeds are technically still up in the air.

The West is a totally different story, however. Five teams — the Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Grizzlies — each have 32 losses, with the Nuggets holding a slim half-game lead on their competitors by virtue of having one more win.

After losing four straight, the Nuggets are currently 47-32, while the Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Grizzlies all have identical 46-32 records. They are, in that order, the current Nos. 4-8 seeds in the West.

This is the first time since the current playoff format was introduced in 1983/84 that the Nos. 4-8 seeds in a conference are within a half-game of each other in the standings 78-plus games into a season, per the NBA (Twitter link).

It’s also just the second time teams ranked 3-8 in a conference are within two games of each other 78-plus games into a season, with the other also coming in the West back in ’17/18.

The 48-30 Lakers currently hold the No. 3 spot, but could theoretically end up anywhere from No. 2 to No. 8 (moving up to No. 2 would require the Lakers to win their final four games and the Rockets to lose their final three; Houston is guaranteed of being either No. 2 or No. 3)

If the Lakers hold onto the No. 3 seed — certainly not a given considering how unpredictable and close the West is — and there ends up being a five-way tie between the current 32-loss clubs, then the final standings would be as follows, according to ESPN researcher Matt Williams (Twitter link via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk):

  1. Timberwolves
  2. Clippers
  3. Warriors
  4. Nuggets
  5. Grizzlies

The Suns have the league’s highest payroll, but are in imminent danger of falling out of the West’s play-in picture. Phoenix has dropped six straight and is three games behind No. 9 Sacramento and two-and-a-half behind No. 10 Dallas with only four games remaining.

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Jamal Murray’s Postseason Availability In Jeopardy?

April 6th, 2025 at 7:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray missed his fifth straight game on Sunday against Indiana. Speaking to reporters prior to the game, head coach Michael Malone discussed Murray’s injury, which the team has described as right hamstring inflammation, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays.

“Jamal’s hurt. It’s not careful. He’s hurt,” Malone said when asked how careful the team is being with Murray by withholding him from games. “So there’s a big difference. Careful is if a guy can play and you want to be smart. We’re not in a situation to do that. There are six teams vying for four (playoff) spots. So if Jamal Murray is not out there, it’s not careful. It’s because he literally just is not able to play at the moment.”

A few weeks ago, it seemed like the Nuggets would be a lock to clinch a top-six seed and a guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference. But they have gone just 5-8 over their past 13 games, including losing three straight. The standings are so tight that Denver is one game back of the No. 3 seed while also being one game ahead of the No. 8 seed, Durando notes.

Murray has initially been listed as questionable before being ruled out in recent games, but it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent. Malone admitted he wasn’t sure if Denver’s second-leading scorer would be active for the start of a first-round series if the Nuggets make the playoffs. Presumably that would apply to a potential play-in tournament appearance as well, which would take place prior to the playoffs.

“Hopefully he’s able to be back by (the playoffs),” Malone said. “This has been a weird one. It was day-to-day, day-to-day, and then next thing you know, it’s not day-to-day.”

The Nuggets actually have a winning record (8-5) without Murray this season, but they’re a much better team when he’s on the court than when he’s not. He has averaged 21.6 points, 6.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 36.3 minutes per contest across 65 appearances in 2024/25, with a shooting slash line of .476/.396/.887.

As Durando observes, Murray was hampered by injuries during last year’s playoff run and during last summer’s Olympics. The 28-year-old signed a four-year, maximum-salary extension before ’24/25 began and is under contract through 2029.

Second-year guard Jalen Pickett received his third start of the season on Sunday in place of Murray.

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Northwest Notes: Collier, Hendricks, Nuggets

April 6th, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Jazz rookie guard Isaiah Collier recently surpassed Hall of Fame former Utah guard John Stockton‘s longstanding rookie-season assists record for the franchise of 415, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Stockton had held the record for 40 years.

Selected with the No. 29 overall pick out of USC, Collier has carved out a solid bench role for himself on the rebuilding Jazz. Across 70 contests, including 45 starts, the 6’3″ pro is averaging 8.5 points, 6.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 25.8 minutes per game. Stockton averaged just 18 MPG during his first pro season, Larsen notes.

Collier has now recorded 434 assists as a rookie. The rookie-season assists record is 868 dimes, courtesy of then-New York guard Mark Jackson. The 16-62 Jazz have four games left on their 2024/25 regular season slate for Collier to keep adding to his franchise-record sum.

Larsen observes that Collier may finish among the top 40 rookies in first-year assists when all is said and done, a promising indicator of his potential long-term upside.

Stockton still leads the NBA, by a significant margin, with 15,806 career regular season assists. His 10.5 APG represents the second-highest average rate of dimes per game, behind only Los Angeles Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson‘s 11.2 APG.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

  • During the second quarter of Friday’s 140-112 loss to Indiana, second-year Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks spoke on the broadcast about the broken leg that’s forced him to miss all but three games, Larsen writes in another piece (subscriber link). Hendricks said he has been able to jog a bit and has been partaking in his teammates’ pregame shootarounds, adding that he expects to be fully recovered by May — long after Utah’s 2024/25 season will be over. He also revealed that he has gained 33 pounds since being listed at a weight of 210 as a rookie. Larsen confirms that Hendricks appears to have put on quite a bit of muscle, but notes that the forward hopes to eventually play at around 230-235 pounds.
  • At 47-31 on the year, the Nuggets currently occupy the Western Conference’s No. 4 seed. But the 2023 champs are just one game better than the Nos. 6-8 seeds in the conference, with four games remaining on their schedule. Denver is looking to strike a balance between resting its ailing stars ahead of the postseason and securing a favorable playoff position, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscriber link).
  • In case you missed it, second-year Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett has been thriving with an extended role in Denver of late.
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Nuggets Notes: Pickett, Jokic, Kerr, Westbrook

April 5th, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Pickett has received extensive playing time for the Nuggets in the first three games of the month. Pickett is averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.3 assists in 30.3 minutes per night and hasn’t committed a turnover in two of those three contests. “He’s proven himself to be trustworthy,” coach Michael Malone told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

Pickett, a second-round pick in 2023, signed a four-year contract in July of that year.

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • While Nikola Jokic is considered an offensive superstar, advanced stats suggest he has quietly become an elite defender as well, ESPN’s Chris Herring and Tim MacMahon write. They note that Jokic has finished first in defensive box plus-minus, which measures a player’s box-score defensive impact and value to his team per 100 possessions, for the past three seasons. He’s within striking distance of doing it again. “He knew that if they wanted to win at a high level and become a champion, he couldn’t be a liability. Now he’s become a strength on that side of the floor and learned how to anchor a defense,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “He literally willed himself to become better on defense.”
  • Warriors coach Steve Kerr has high praise for Jokic, Eurohoops.net relays. “It’s unfair to compare eras, but he’s the best center I’ve ever seen. For one year, I’ve played against Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], I’ve watched him obviously. Kareem couldn’t do all this stuff,” Kerr said. “And again, eras dictate a lot of that. We’re in the modern era, and we’re watching a guy who’s doing things that nobody has ever done before. It goes so far beyond the skill level, it’s the competitiveness, the intelligence: he’s absolutely one of the smartest players ever, and you see it in so many different ways.”
  • With Jamal Murray sidelined once again due to a hamstring injury, Russell Westbrook had a rough outing in a loss to the Warriors on Friday night, Durando points out. He shot 2-for-9 from the field and committed four turnovers in 20 minutes.
  • Westbrook made a couple of late mistakes that proved costly in a double-overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night. The Athletic’s Tony Jones describes why the Nuggets need the best version of the veteran guard to make a deep playoff run this season.
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Nuggets’ Trey Alexander Named G League Rookie Of The Year

April 4th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

First-year guard Trey Alexander, who is on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, has been named the NBA G League’s Rookie of the Year, according to a press release.

Alexander signed a two-way contract with Denver last July shortly after going undrafted out of Creighton. He has played sparingly at the NBA level, logging just 110 total minutes across 22 outings, most of which came in garbage time. However, he has been a standout for the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets’ G League affiliate.

In 30 total appearances in the Tip-Off Tournament and NBAGL regular season, Alexander averaged 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 37.0 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .462/.395/.817.

“The Nuggets and Gold are so proud of Trey and all he has accomplished this season.” Gold general manager Ben Tenzer said in a statement. “He is a fantastic player, and an even better person. His work ethic and approach to the game are second to none. We have enjoyed watching his tremendous growth and look forward to all the success that comes his way in the future.”

While it’s possible that Alexander’s strong play in the G League will earn him a longer look from Denver in the NBA next season, he’ll need to be re-signed first. Since the 21-year-old’s two-way deal only covers one season, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), David Jones Garcia of the Mexico City Capitanes was the runner-up in G League Rookie of the Year voting, while Windy City Bulls guard Jahmir Young, who is on a two-way contract with Chicago, finished third.

The award is voted on by the NBAGL’s head coaches and GMs.

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Dario Saric Reportedly Plans To Pick Up Option For 2025/26

April 4th, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Although Dario Saric‘s first year with the Nuggets has been disappointing, multiple sources tell Bennett Durando of The Denver Post that he plans to exercise his $5.4MM player option for next season.

The option was included in a two-year, $10.6MM contract that Saric signed last summer. Durando notes that he chose Denver over an offer from EuroLeague champ Panathinaikos, and the Nuggets were willing to give him their full taxpayer mid-level exception to add an experienced big man who could help reduce the workload for Nikola Jokic.

It hasn’t worked out that way, as Saric has only appeared in 16 games and is averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per night. Durando points out that even as coach Michael Malone rested more than half of his roster for Wednesday’s back-to-back, Saric was only given seven minutes.

Durando adds that Saric looks like a misfire for general manager Calvin Booth, who can’t afford to waste any money given the team’s precarious financial state. Saric will have the team’s sixth-highest salary for 2025/26 if he exercises the option.

Durando states that the Nuggets would benefit financially for next season if Saric declines the option. They would have three roster spots to fill and would be about $13MM below the second apron. He adds that they don’t have many assets left for another salary dump after giving up three second-round picks to send Reggie Jackson to Charlotte last summer.

There have been recent reports that Saric has been contacted by several overseas teams hoping to sign him for next season. While Saric didn’t deny that, he made it clear that he hasn’t reached a decision, according to Durando.

“I didn’t sign a contract with nobody. Obviously, I still have a contract with Denver at the end of this season, my option for next year,” Saric said. “So you know, me and my family didn’t decide yet. I’m still kind of going through this season, and when the season is done, I’m going to see with my family what’s the best thing, what’s the best choice for me. … I really don’t (know) myself what’s the right choice for me in this moment.”

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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark

April 2nd, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

There are just 12 days left in the 2024/25 regular season, which means time is running out for certain end-of-season award candidates to meet the 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

A player doesn’t need to reach that 65-game mark in order to be eligible for Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or All-Rookie teams, but it’s a necessary requirement for most of the marquee awards: Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and Most Improved Player.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the following players who could be in the mix for one or more of those awards haven’t yet met the 65-game criteria, but still have a chance to do so:

In some cases, a player’s actual games played total doesn’t match up with the figure noted above. That’s because in order for a game to count before the 65-game minimum, the player must be on the court for at least 20 minutes. A player is also permitted to count a maximum of two games between 15 and 20 minutes toward that minimum.

Let’s use Mobley as an example. The Cavaliers big man has technically appeared in 66 games this season, but he played just 12 minutes in one of those games, 18 minutes in two of them, and 19 minutes in one. That means he only has 64 games that actually count toward the minimum — all 62 games in which he played 20-plus minutes, along with two of those games between 15-20 minutes.

Mobley will have to play at least 20 minutes once more this season in order to be eligible for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, and All-NBA. Given that he’s healthy and the Cavs still have seven games left on their schedule, Mobley should have no problem meeting that requirement. But it’ll be a taller order for some of the other players on this list.

Durant is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and has been ruled out for at least two more games. He would have to play 20-plus minutes in three of the Suns‘ final four games to be award-eligible. Brunson, on the shelf due to his own ankle sprain, is in a similar boat, though the Knicks guard has a chance to return before Durant does.

Lillard, who is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his calf, seems pretty unlikely to play in six of the Bucks‘ last seven games. Holiday is healthy but has no wiggle room to miss any of the Celtics‘ remaining seven games.

Many of this year’s other top award contenders have already met the 65-game criteria. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did so in style on Tuesday night — his 65th game of the season was an incredible 61-point triple-double in a 140-139 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

However, according to the latest straw poll conducted by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Jokic is the clear runner-up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who has played 72 games) in the MVP race. Of the 100 media members polled by Bontemps, 77 picked the Thunder guard as their Most Valuable Player, while just 23 chose Jokic. The three-time MVP may need a couple more performances like Tuesday’s in order to close that gap by the end of the season.

Besides Jokic, one other notable player who has narrowly eclipsed the 65-game minimum is Cade Cunningham. The Pistons guard has missed four games in a row with a left calf injury and is considered doubtful to return on Wednesday, but he played his 65th game on March 19, prior to his recent absence.

That’s especially important for Cunningham and the Pistons because, as Bontemps notes, the fourth-year guard is considered a virtual lock to earn a spot on one of this year’s All-NBA teams, which will ensure that his maximum-salary rookie scale extension begins at 30% of the 2025/26 salary cap instead of 25%. That would increase the overall projected value of Cunningham’s five-year deal from $224.2MM to $269.1MM.

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