Report: Michael Malone’s choice to continue supporting Russell Westbrook led to a loss of credibility among Nuggets players

April 10, 2025

According to NBA insiders Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Michael Malone’s choice to continue supporting Russell Westbrook led to a loss of credibility among Denver Nuggets players.

The Nuggets fired Malone on Tuesday.

“All the while, Malone’s choice to continue supporting Westbrook, despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor, led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players,” Jones and Amick wrote. “It was one thing when Malone handled Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray with more leniency than the rest of their group, but affording Westbrook that sort of treatment, even with his Hall of Fame credentials, wasn’t received well by some.

“That dynamic intensified recently, starting with Westbrook’s meltdown against Minnesota on April 1 in which his late-game blunders cost Denver the win and spoiled Jokić’s 60-point triple-double. After a brutal Jokić turnover late in a loss to Indiana on Sunday, when he and Westbrook miscommunicated up top and the big man’s pass flew out of bounds, Malone defended his veteran point guard in a way that was seen by some as a shot at the team’s young talents.”

A nine-time All-Star, Westbrook is in his first season with the Nuggets. He’s averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field, 32.6% from beyond the arc and 64.5% from the free-throw line.

Westbrook has a player option worth $3.4 million to return to the Nuggets next season, but his future with the organization is uncertain, per Jones and Amick.

One of the greatest players in NBA history, Westbrook has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets. He’s won only one postseason series since Kevin Durant left him in 2016.

Westbrook played only 17 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. He had five points and three turnovers while shooting 2-of-11 overall and 0-of-4 from 3.