Nuggets intended to fire bickering Michael Malone, Calvin Booth after season; skid accelerated move

The Denver Nuggets’ surprising decision to part ways with coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth came after a series of escalating tensions and a season-worst four-game losing streak, which jeopardized the team’s playoff position for the first time since 2018.

According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, the Kroenke family — team president Josh Kroenke and owner Stan Kroenke — had made the decision to fire both men “days earlier,” but the team’s struggles during the losing streak accelerated the move.

The tension between Malone and Booth, which had been building since the Nuggets won their first NBA title in 2023, ultimately led to a fractured culture within the organization.

Sources told Durando that there was a growing lack of trust between the coaching staff and the front office, with Malone and Booth butting heads over lineup and roster decisions. One source described the atmosphere as one where “coaches don’t trust the front office and front office (employees) don’t trust the coaches.”

The rift between Malone and his players also contributed to the decision to make a change. Durando reported that “multiple key players” began tuning out Malone’s messaging, an issue that the coach seemed to acknowledge after a loss in Portland last month.

“They’re not going to go back and watch their minutes, because nobody watches their minutes,” Malone said at the time. “Nobody watches film. So we’ll have to show them the film.”

As the season wore on, the bickering between Malone and Booth intensified, creating a toxic environment within the team.

“It wasn’t fun to be around that environment,” one source told Durando. “Everyone was waiting for an endpoint.”

The decision to part with Malone was also driven by the Nuggets’ defensive struggles. After finishing the 2023-24 season with the eighth-ranked defense in the league, Denver has seen a sharp decline in 2024-25, now ranking 20th. Malone expressed frustration with the defense both privately and publicly, which also contributed to the organization’s decision to move on from him.

At any rate, the tension between Malone and Booth reached a boiling point during the late-season skid, with Booth offering lineup suggestions that Malone disagreed with.

Sources told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill that Booth also criticized Malone’s coaching, particularly his usage of Jamal Murray. Booth had pushed for more defensive emphasis from Murray and wanted him to play fewer minutes, though Murray is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that may impact his postseason availability. Murray is averaging a career-high 36.3 minutes per game this season.

In January, league sources indicated that Malone might resign at season’s end due to his strained relationship with Booth, per Goodwill. While Malone was under contract through 2027, Booth’s contract was set to expire, adding further pressure to the situation.