NBA insider Shams Charania has revealed details behind the sudden firing of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, just days before the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The news sent shockwaves throughout the league, as Malone was the winningest coach in Nuggets franchise history and the architect behind the team’s 2023 championship run.
NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news, revealing that the firing came after a series of disappointing performances and an ongoing tension between Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.
“The way the season was going, four straight losses in a row and just what has gone on the last couple of years with what’s been described to me as a cold war between Michael Malone and Calvin Booth, the Nuggets believed that something needed to change now,” Charania explained on ESPN. “They were likely going to dismiss one or the other come the offseason. So Josh Kroenke and the Nuggets decided to just get it over with now seeing how the team is performing.”
Charania further revealed that the timing of the dismissal caught everyone off guard, including Malone, Booth, and the players themselves. “But listen, everyone was shocked by the timing of this. That includes Michael Malone, Calvin Booth themselves,” Charania said. “The players I’m told had a meeting where Josh Kroenke addressed them after the dismissal. He decided to flip the culture. Didn’t want to wait. He wanted to inject some life into this going into the playoffs because this is a team that has struggled a little bit in the second half of the year; they’ve dropped in defensive rating.”
The decision marks just the second time in NBA history that a head coach has been fired this late in the season, matching the 1980-81 dismissal of Hubie Brown.
Charania noted that this firing likely would have happened even earlier had Malone not led the Nuggets to their 2023 championship victory. “This is stunning for him because he’s the winningest coach in Denver Nuggets franchise history,” Charania added. “He just led them to a championship in 2023. This is tied for the latest coaching change ever made. And it’s one that probably would have happened in 2023 if he had not won the championship just based on circumstances with him and Calvin Booth.”
As of now, David Adelman, the Nuggets’ lead assistant, has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Adelman, who has been with the team since 2017, is known for his familiarity with Malone’s system and has earned praise for his player development work.
The Nuggets currently sit in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference with a 47-32 record, though they have struggled recently, losing seven of their last ten games. The firing of Malone follows another surprise coaching change last week when the Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, adding to the tension surrounding playoff-bound teams in the final stretch of the regular season.
Despite the shocking nature of the move, Charania believes it was necessary for the organization to make the change. “The Nuggets believed that something needed to change now,” he said. “This is a team that has struggled a little bit the second half of the year, and they’ve dropped in defensive rating. They wanted to flip the culture going into the playoffs.”
Malone’s departure leaves the Nuggets with significant work to do ahead of the postseason. Although the team has been led by stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, defensive inconsistencies have haunted them in recent weeks, contributing to their current struggles. The team will now look to rebound under interim leadership with just three games remaining before the playoffs.
Charania concluded by noting the challenge ahead for the Nuggets: “Michael Malone’s firing is certainly stunning for the Nuggets, something that this roster is now going to have to deal with and recover from.” The next few days will determine how the team responds to this seismic shift as they prepare for the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
