Why was Mike Malone fired? The Denver Nuggets termination, explained

The Denver Nuggets shocked the NBA when they suddenly fired head coach Michael Malone and General Manager Calvin Booth with just three games left in the regular season. While the team’s owners claimed the move was meant to boost their chances of winning the 2025 championship, a closer look shows that multiple issues led to this extreme decision.

While we could go with the official statement released by the Nuggets, there’s more to it. Josh Kroenke, who helps run Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said “This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere.”

This vague statement left people guessing about the real reasons. As reported by Bleacher Report and Basket News, One big problem was the team’s recent poor performance. Even though the Nuggets won a franchise-record 57 games the year before, they struggled in the 2024 to 2025 season, especially during a four-game losing streak. Their offense and defense both got worse, raising doubts about whether they could go far in the playoffs.

Coach Michael Malone and General Manager Calvin Booth let go from Nuggets

The team looked especially weak when their star player, Nikola Jokic, wasn’t on the court, which made people question the coaching and roster decisions. Per USA Today, Calvin Booth, the General Manager, also faced criticism. He made some good moves early on, like bringing in Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but later decisions backfired. Losing those two players and adding questionable pieces like Russell Westbrook and Dario Šarić hurt the team.

Trading experienced players for younger ones didn’t work out, leaving the roster unbalanced. Other signings, like expensive deals for Zeke Nnaji and Reggie Jackson, also didn’t pay off, showing problems in how the team was built.

Another issue was the reported tension between Malone and Booth. Sources say the two barely communicated and even disliked each other, which hurt the team’s management and chemistry. Their disagreements—Malone wanting veterans and Booth preferring young players—made things worse and slowed the team’s progress. This “cold war” behind the scenes likely made their on-court struggles even worse.

Firing both men right before the playoffs was a strange and risky move. The owners said they wanted quick improvement, but making such big changes so late in the season could backfire. A new coach and disrupted team chemistry might hurt the Nuggets’ playoff chances instead of helping.

In the end, the Nuggets’ decision to fire Malone and Booth came from several problems: the team’s recent slump, Booth’s questionable roster moves, and the bad relationship between the coach and GM. While the owners hope for quick results, the timing of the firings is a gamble. Whether the Nuggets succeed now depends on how well they handle these changes and fix the deeper issues that caused this shake-up.