The Denver Nuggets shocked the NBA world by firing head coach Michael Malone and announcing they would not extend the contract of general manager Calvin Booth on Tuesday, with just six days left in the regular season. The Nuggets are only two years removed from winning the NBA championship and are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.
But after a four-game losing streak, Denver is now just a half-game above the logjam of four teams that are currently tied for fifth. ESPN's Basketball Power Index gives the Nuggets a 46.9% chance of falling into the play-in tournament.
With a closing schedule that includes road games at the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, sandwiched around a home date with the Memphis Grizzlies -- who also made a recent surprising coaching change, firing Taylor Jenkins on March 28 -- the Nuggets will be hard-pressed to hold on to their playoff spot in the wild Western Conference postseason race.
Our NBA insiders answer the big questions about these moves, including what it means for Denver's playoff hopes and the future of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets moving on from Malone and Booth with six days left in the season is _____.
Ohm Youngmisuk: Shocking but not totally blindsiding. Change was probably inevitable, but the timing was a massive surprise. Tension had been brewing between Malone and Booth for quite some time, so much so that sources described it as a "cold war." Denver has lost four straight and is just 11-13 since the All-Star break. Players such as Jokic have displayed frustration on the sideline. Vibes have been low, according to sources. And ownership believed it was time to move on from both men just days before the end of the regular season to give the team a jolt ahead of a postseason run with the best player in the world.
Bobby Marks: Stunning. I swore to myself to never use that word, especially after the Luka Doncic trade in February. But here we are two months later. Yes, there were rumblings that change was coming in Denver, but not six days before the regular season ended.
Michael C. Wright: No different than Memphis firing Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history: ridiculous. Denver is only two seasons removed from the only championship in franchise history, and you diminish the Nuggets' chances for a second title by firing the coach who got you to the mountaintop? This can't be a popular move within Denver's locker room.
Chris Herring: Even more surprising than Memphis' decision to fire Jenkins, given the Nuggets won the entire thing just two years ago. Jamal Murray has also sat out Denver's past five games, which better explained the current skid to some extent. Apparently not, though. It's a stunning move to fire a coach with more wins than anyone over the past five seasons -- even more so to do it in the final week of the season.
Zach Kram: A sign of just how much the franchise has botched its post-championship competitive window. The team has lost key contributors without replacing them, suffered from behind-the-scenes strife and made an unprecedented decision to blow up a contender's front office and coaching staff this late in the season. As long as Jokic is in his prime, the Nuggets are dangerous. But what looked like a potential dynasty in 2023 is flailing two years later.
How does this change Denver's postseason projections?
Shams Charania explains why Nuggets ownership moved on from head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.
Kram: I was already pessimistic about the Nuggets' playoff chances because of the team's 20th-ranked defense -- the worst for any team with a winning record -- and Murray's uncertain return. Now it's even harder to envision a deep run from the 2023 champs.
Marks: A month ago I was asked which team could contend with Oklahoma City. The answer was Denver. This morning before Denver cleaned house, I did not think they could get out of the first round. Their recent stretch of games and inability to get stops defensively would be a major concern even if the Nuggets had kept Malone.
Herring: Perhaps these moves provide a spark, but I have a tough time thinking a change this late in the game propels Denver, just because there isn't sufficient time to make wholesale schematic or style changes. If anything, it gives me less confidence in a run from Jokic and the Nuggets.
Wright: It certainly doesn't help this team, which still has a shot to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. With Murray's extended absence because of a right hamstring issue, his availability to start the postseason is in question. Expectations already weren't high for the Nuggets, and the firing of Malone further diminishes this team's prospects because it takes away continuity.
Youngmisuk: Denver is in a fight to stay out of the play-in. The Nuggets desperately need Murray to come back healthy after sitting out five straight games because of a hamstring injury. If Murray is healthy when the postseason starts, the Nuggets can beat anyone with Jokic playing the best basketball of his career. He needs more help. The Nuggets are hoping interim coach David Adelman will get the team out of its slump, but a healthy Murray is vital for Jokic and the Nuggets to make another deep run.
More shocking firing: Malone or Jenkins?
Herring: Malone. He won the franchise's lone title just two years ago and has won more than anyone over the past five years. His record speaks for itself. Both firings were shockers, and I expect we'll learn far more in the coming days. But even with that information, short of Malone having some sort of static with Jokic, I'm not sure it will make this decision any more understandable; it just seems too destabilizing with so little time left.
Kram: Malone. The writing had been on the wall in Memphis for some time, since the Grizzlies replaced five of Jenkins' assistants last summer. The main surprise was the timing, not the firing itself. But Malone was such a successful mainstay in Denver that he seemed likely to remain Jokic's coach for years to come.
Wright: Malone, because of what appears to be a lack of understanding from ownership of how the franchise reached this point. Denver wants to win now but has very little flexibility and assets to make such lofty goals realistic. It's worth pondering whether this is just the beginning of a larger teardown.
Youngmisuk: Malone, simply because teams do not part with championship coaches this late in the season, especially when vying for a top-four seed. The move does give Denver a chance to see what Adelman can do. And with more openings expected this summer, Denver gets an early look at the 43-year-old coach, who has been on the radar for head coaching positions in the past.
Marks: Can I say both? I was part of the Nets' front office that fired Byron Scott in 2004 after two straight NBA Finals appearances. But that was 41 games into the next season. Both Jenkins and Malone had endured injuries to their star players (Ja Morant, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic) since the All-Star break and were positioned to coach playoff teams. Plus, in the case of Malone, winning a championship should mean something for job security.
What does this mean for Jokic's future in Denver?
Brian Windhorst reports on the NBA's reaction to the Nuggets firing Michael Malone and moving on from GM Calvin Booth and what it means for Nikola Jokic.
Marks: One thought came to mind after Malone was fired: I hope Nuggets ownership ran this by Jokic. The three-time MVP still has three years left on his contract (he has a player option in 2027-28), but that does not mean anything if a player is unhappy. The true sign of what the future holds in Denver is what happens once the NBA Finals conclude, when Jokic is eligible to sign a three-year, $212 million extension.
Herring: This is the question. Was there anything happening behind the scenes between Malone and Jokic? Taking this step with Malone, particularly in the final week of a season that isn't even remotely lost, is a massive gamble unless you know Jokic is OK with it. Jokic is among the least dramatic stars in the sport, but this is a highly unusual move involving a title-winning coach.
Wright: It'll be interesting to find out, considering he'll soon be eligible to sign that three-year extension. Jokic came into the league with Malone as his head coach, who then made the decision to run Denver's offense through the star big man. Jokic doesn't reveal much about his personal life, but it sure seems as if loyalty is important to him. Ownership showed none with this latest move.
Kram: Probably nothing, because Jokic has never seemed like the sort of player to demand a trade. But Malone has been the Nuggets' coach for Jokic's entire career, so now we're entering uncharted territory for the NBA's best player.
Youngmisuk: Jokic isn't going anywhere. Though Malone is the only NBA head coach Jokic has ever had, the Nuggets made this move in hopes of maximizing what is left of this season. Denver ownership still believes the Nuggets can make a run this postseason and considers Adelman the architect of the team's offense. The Nuggets will do everything they can to make things better around Jokic.
Besides replacing Booth and Malone, what should be the Nuggets' offseason priority to get back to championship status?
Wright: Defense needs to be prioritized, and the club could help itself by upgrading its bench. But it's unclear how the Nuggets will get there with minimum contracts, which are needed because they'll be a luxury tax team for the fourth year in a row and are expected to be hit with a hefty repeater tax penalty.
Marks: Because Denver is top heavy in salary (67% of the team's cap next season is tied up in Jokic, Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon), it has only the $5.6 million midlevel exception to use in free agency. In trades, the Nuggets are not allowed to take back salary because they are projected to be over the second apron. The Nuggets are also limited to what draft picks they can trade. They have a first- and second-rounder in 2032 available to send in a trade.
Kram: Build a bench that doesn't collapse every time Jokic leaves the court. The Nuggets have a very strong starting lineup but minimal depth behind their top five, particularly after Christian Braun's successful promotion to the starting group. Maybe youngsters such as Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther will continue to develop. But the Nuggets also need to make better free agent decisions after whiffing on Dario Saric and Reggie Jackson while losing championship contributors Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. Denver's net rating is plus-9.9 with Jokic on the court, the mark of a championship contender, but minus-8.7 without him, which is the same as the Pelicans' 28th-ranked net rating.
Herring: A far better defense that doesn't require the offense to be as efficient as it has been for the majority of the season. And with Murray and Porter largely unable to keep the reserve unit afloat when Jokic is off the court, Denver also clearly needs better bench play. The Nuggets, who rank fifth in 3-point percentage but last in 3-point attempts, also need far more volume from long range.
Youngmisuk: The Nuggets have to surround Jokic with the best players possible, whether that's with the supporting cast and a better second unit or potentially a new coaching voice from the sideline. Maximizing the championship window around Jokic has to be the priority. Nothing else should matter.