Nuggets’ biggest test around bend after friction between ex-coach, GM resolved

April 12, 2025

Nuggets coaches could feel the divide between former coach Michael Malone and ex-general manager Calvin Booth, and that was among the many reasons both were shockingly dismissed with less than a week to go in the regular season, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne.

“Everybody in the organization was miserable,” a team source said to ESPN. “That’s what (team owner Josh Kroenke) felt. It’s a bad vibe. You can’t operate like that. He felt that if he removed those two people, everybody could just focus on doing their job. Change needed to happen.”

So a four-game losing streak was all ownership could seemingly handle, making the decision to abruptly fire the coach and GM with the playoffs right around the bend.

Clearly, Malone and Booth had different views on who should play and how much. Malone wanted to hang onto veterans from the 2003 title team — such as Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

On the other hand, Booth wanted the coaching staff to lean into younger players like Christian Braun and Jalen Pickett. All of course was done with the goal of keeping resident star Nikola Jokic happy.

“If you’re one of Calvin’s guys, Malone doesn’t want to play you,” a Nuggets source told ESPN.

According to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando, Malone and Booth barely spoke outside of meetings with Kroenke. And when the losses started to mount, the friction could no longer be ignored.

With the two sides entrenched and communication minimal, Kroenke decided against choosing one over the other. His solution was drastic, but decisive — start fresh with new leadership and reset the culture around his franchise centerpiece.

Despite the upheaval, one thing remains unchanged: the franchise is still entirely centered around Jokic. And if there’s any silver lining to this organizational shake-up, it’s that the two-time MVP appears as committed to Denver as ever.

“I think people in general, they always want more and more and more, but they don’t know what they have,” Jokic said, via ESPN. “I’m really happy we have one title — a lot of very good players don’t win.”

With the postseason around the corner, Denver finds itself at a crossroads. This is no longer about patching up a fractured relationship between two strong-willed executives. Kroenke has cleared the board.

What remains is a generational talent, a strong core, and the hope that with less tension and more unity, the Nuggets can move forward. They’ve weathered a storm few saw coming. But with Jokic as the anchor and a reset underway, the Nuggets’ future still holds promise — assuming they can finally get out of their own way.

Denver (49-32) sits in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, but is tied record-wise with the Los Angeles Clippers and is just a game up on the Golden State Warriors. So it will need a road win Sunday against the Houston Rockets to guarantee the current spot.