David Adelman

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Strawther, Adelman

May 16th, 2025 at 6:32pm CST by Eli Cohen

Jamal Murray wasn’t only dealing with the normal adversity of his Nuggets facing an elimination game as he headed into Game 6 at home, writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. Murray woke up on game day feeling sick enough that his status was listed as questionable heading into the pivotal face-off against the higher-seeded Thunder.

The severity of the illness required him to receive fluids via an IV drip, according to interim head coach David Adelman.

“There was a high likelihood he may not play,” Adelman said. “And you get the IV in you. You get the meds in you. … I kind of was watching the first six minutes like, ‘Is this real? Can he do it?’ And I thought he had good energy, good juice. There were a couple times he really didn’t want to go back to get the ball because he was so gassed, having a hard time breathing.”

Despite Adelman’s worries, Murray said he was always confident he was going to play, according to Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette. In the end, Denver’s point guard ended up compiling 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as the team won 119-107 to force Game 7 in Oklahoma City.

“Everything was kind of bothering me, but kind of once the game starts and the team needs you and adrenaline kicks in, a couple of shots go in or whatever, you just kind of suck it up and get through it,” Murray said, matter-of-factly.

Adelman doesn’t take such things for granted, though. “… That’s Jamal Murray,” the Nuggets coach marveled. “It’s almost like the worse it is, the better off it’s gonna be.”

The star point guard will now have two full days to recover before the winner-takes-all matchup on Sunday.

Here’s more from the Nuggets:

Thursday’s must-win victory proved a measure of vindication for recently fired general manager Calvin Booth, writes The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler. Keeler points to the pivotal contributions from two of Booth’s draft picks: Christian Braun, who was taken 21st in the 2022 draft, and Julian Strawther, the 29th pick in 2023. Booth’s insistence on playing the young prospects he drafted, as well as his struggles to retain veteran talent, have been cited as reasons he clashed with former head coach Michael Malone preceding their dismissals — in Game 6, the kids repaid Booth’s faith.
Coming into the postseason, Strawther wasn’t sure he’d be part of the Nuggets’ playoff rotation, writes Durando. “The staff was transparent with me: ‘We may or may not need you to stay ready,'” he said, and stay ready he did. His heroics in Game 6, scoring 15 points over 10 minutes in the second half, were critical to the team extending the series. It was his first time scoring in double digits since February. Just as importantly to his coach, he didn’t get exploited on defense. “You want to keep an offensive player out there, but they have to be able to handle their own on the other end. And he did. We didn’t have to change schematically, defensively, because he sat down, moved his feet and guarded,” Adelman said.
Nikola Jokic has demonstrated more on-court leadership in the wake of former coach Michael Malone‘s firing, but that doesn’t mean the MVP doesn’t trust the Nuggets’ new coach. “Even when I see something and just ask him a question, he thinks about it. I think we have great communication,” Jokic said when asked about his discussions with Adelman regarding strategy, reports Eurohoops’ Johnny Askounis. That collaboration has helped rejuvenate a Nuggets team that will enter Sunday night with a chance to go to the Western Conference Finals.

Nuggets Notes: Fourth Quarter, Strawther, Murray, Gordon, Jokic

May 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nuggets defeated the Thunder in Game 6 in Denver on Thursday, blowing the game open and keeping it out of reach in the fourth quarter. This comes one game after the Nuggets gave away a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose on the road.

Interim coach David Adelman shouldered the blame for the fourth quarter woes in Game 5, per The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. That game saw Nikola Jokic play the entire second half. This time around, the Nuggets were able to give Jokic some rest — for nearly four minutes of game time — and he was able to come back into the game with a larger lead than when he left.

Part of the reason for Denver’s impressive fourth quarter was the stellar play of Julian Strawther, who scored seven of his 15 points in the final frame.

We have more on the Nuggets:

Jamal Murray was listed as questionable to play in Thursday’s game due to an illness, as we relayed earlier today. However, Murray pushed through and recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 42 minutes of play. After the game, Adelman credited the medical staff for getting him to a point where he could play, per the Denver Gazette’s Vinny Benedetto (Twitter link). “That’s Jamal Murray,” Adelman said. “It’s almost like the worse it is, the better he’s going to be. What a tough-minded man.“
Aaron Gordon appeared to injure his left hamstring late in the game. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), concern about Gordon’s hamstring is “high,” per Adelman, but the team is fortunate to have two days between games to maximize any potential recovery time.
Jokic couldn’t care less about his shooting percentages or protecting his counting stats, as MacMahon writes. “Nobody should care about that at this time of the year,” Jokic said. The MVP candidate is putting up half-court heaves at a high rate this series after making a habit of doing so all season. “Most great shooters care about their stats. Bottom line,” Adelman said. “We’ve seen a lot of examples of guys taking shots just as the clock goes off or making that late pass to not take a bad shot. For Nikola to shoot the percentage he shoots and still shoot those shots — because, hey, there’s a chance it goes in and a chance it wins you the game — just shows how unselfish he is in all ways.“

Northwest Notes: SGA, Williams, Adelman, Randle

May 11th, 2025 at 3:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken responsibility for his underwhelming play in an overtime Game 3 road loss to the Nuggets, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

The 6’6″ pro, the presumptive 2025 MVP, scored an inefficient 18 points while shooting just 7-of-22 from the field and didn’t attempt a shot during the overtime frame. All-Star Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams scored a career playoff-best 32 points.

“The game gets slower, execution matters more,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “In those moments when the game slows down, it usually comes down to your best players making shots and making plays. I didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight, and I think that’s the main reason for the outcome.”

Nuggets stars Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. all made up for MVP center Nikola Jokic‘s similarly inefficient night. Each member of that triumvirate scored at least 21 points, with Murray’s 27 leading the way.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

The ascent of Williams as a true offensive release valve for Gilgeous-Alexander is a testament to the Thunder‘s patient team-building, asserts Rylan Stiles of Thunder On SI. Despite winning 68 games during the regular season, the Thunder have struggled mightily against Denver, and currently trail the Nuggets 2-1 in their conference semifinal series, with Game 4 ongoing. The team’s young core may need more time to jell together in the postseason to really do the kind of damage it may eventually be capable of. Still, Williams has developed a steadier hand as a scorer. The third-year forward is averaging 22.6 points, 5.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per night across seven playoff contests so far.
Just two years removed from their first-ever title as a franchise, the seasoned Nuggets seem to be capitalizing on a playoff experience edge over most of the Thunder’s young core, observes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Interim Denver coach David Adelman reflected on Oklahoma City’s relative inexperience in the postseason. “We were young once, and we handled it pretty well,” Adelman said. “And they do, too. That’s why they won so many games. The reason they haven’t played a lot of close games is they have completely blown the doors off people the whole season. If I was coaching a team, I would rather do that than play 55 four-point games.” As Durando notes, the Thunder logged the best point differential in league history this past regular season — but thanks in part to that, the team notched a scant 66 “clutch” minutes, the least in a season for any team in the 21st century.
The Timberwolves rode a 24-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double from Julius Randle to carve out a 102-97 Game 3 victory and a 2-1 series edge over Golden State, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I feel like I just got a lot of different tools, you know what I mean?” Randle said. “It’s really about using my mind and taking what the defense gives me. If they don’t double-team me, score. If they double-team me, find my guys.”

Nuggets Notes: Coaching & GM Change, Westbrook, Braun, Adelman

May 4th, 2025 at 8:48am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets were headed in the wrong direction when they made the controversial decision to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with three games remaining in the regular season, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. They had just lost four in a row and were in danger of dropping into the play-in tournament. Now they’re headed to the second round of the playoffs after destroying the Clippers in Saturday’s Game 7, and Nikola Jokic believes the changes paved the way for playoff success.

“I think the owner … wanted to change something, to change the energy, and probably he did,” Jokic said. “He got the result he was looking for.”

Malone and Booth had a contentious relationship for years and were locked in an ongoing battle of basketball philosophies. Malone preferred to rely on experienced players who had earned his trust, while Booth wanted him to give more minutes to the young talent he drafted and signed. Numerous reports stated that their bickering brought a negative energy to the organization, and they were both likely to be let go after the season ended.

“If we don’t make the changes, there’s no way we’re even in a Game 7,” one Nuggets executive told Shelburne.

There’s more from Denver:

Saturday’s victory was satisfying for former Clipper Russell Westbrook, who contributed 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in 27 minutes, Shelburne adds. As they did throughout the series, L.A.’s defenders backed far off Westbrook and dared him to shoot from the outside. He promised after Game 1 to discuss the strategy when the Nuggets “took care of business,” and Saturday night he did. “I think they believed that that was their best bet of stopping me or taking me out of this series,” Westbrook said. “But one thing that nobody knows is that I work my ass off. So regardless of what anybody does, I’m always prepared and I’ll be prepared for anything because I prepare myself for everything. And like I said, after Game 1, if they continue doing it, I’m going to make ’em pay. I don’t know what I shot for the series.” When informed that he made 42% of his three-pointers, he smiled and said, “Damn, that’s solid. I guess it didn’t work out so well for them.”
Christian Braun got a chance to erase the bad memories of last year’s Game 7 loss to Minnesota, notes Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Braun was limited to five points in 19:46 as the Nuggets were eliminated in 2024, but he was crucial to this year’s victory. He played tight defense on James Harden throughout the series, and kept the Nuggets from falling too far behind by scoring nine of their 21 first-quarter points on Saturday. “I wanted to be more,” Braun said, referencing the loss to the Wolves. “And everybody wants to play more. But I just thought that in that game, I felt like I was playing well and wanted to play more minutes. And everybody wants that, everybody in the league wants that, and I got that. That’s exactly what I wanted, and those guys trusted me — they have all year — but they trusted me in that moment. So, this is the exact moment I was looking for.”
The Nuggets should remove head coach David Adelman’s interim tag as soon as their playoff run ends, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Renck states that ownership is leaning toward giving Adelman the job on a permanent basis, and he proved he’s worthy with his performance in the first-round series.

Northwest Notes: Conley, SGA, MPJ, Blazers

April 23rd, 2025 at 11:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Eighteen-year veteran Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley has battled through a difficult 2024/25 season, but he’s finally rounding into form just in time for the playoffs, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

Minnesota is currently tied at 1-1 in its first round playoff series against Los Angeles.

“This season has been one of the toughest ones I’ve had to deal with,” Conley said. “Obviously, a lot of expectation coming into the season after the year we had, myself included, to not be feeling the best to start the season and not playing the best — those combinations are not good together.”

Conley has been hampered since last summer by a left wrist injury since last summer that he expects will eventually need to be repaired surgically. The former All-Star, who is in the first season of a two-year, $20.8MM deal, also dislocated his finger around the All-Star break.

“In the health part, it was like, am I ever gonna get my wrist right?” Conley said. “Or am I ever gonna get feeling the same where I can hold the ball again correctly, or, not feel pain? And stuff like that. Those are all questions that were staying in my head. Once that went away, the game started to slowly come back together and it’s easier to be confident when you know you’re not feeling something crazy every time you flick your wrist or dribble the ball or play defense.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Despite two inefficient nights from All-NBA Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City obliterated Memphis in both instances. Gilgeous-Alexander, who is connecting on just 32.6% of his shots from the field in those victories, celebrated his team’s depth in the wake of his underwhelming performances, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I feel like I’m getting looks I usually make and just missing them,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s part of basketball. It’s ups and downs, makes and misses. Because my team is really good, we’ve won two games by a decent margin. They’ve had my back these last two nights. Hopefully, I pick it up soon.” The Thunder star scored 27 points in Game 2, but went just 10-of-29 from the field. Star forward Jalen Williams stepped up with 24 points, while big man Chet Holmgren added 20.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is considered questionable to suit up for Game 3 of Denver’s 1-1 series with the Clippers due to a left shoulder sprain. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, interim head coach David Adelman is relatively confident the 6’10” vet will be available. “I’m very optimistic, because I don’t think he gets enough credit for how tough he is, what he’s played through over these years,” Adelman said. “His pain threshold is something that people don’t understand. … So, do I know if Mike’s going to play? No. But I do know if Mike can play, he will.” Porter injured his shoulder with 1:35 remaining in regulation, forcing Adelman to once again close with sixth man guard Russell Westbrook.
The Trail Blazers recently opted to extend both GM Joe Cronin and coach Chauncey Billups thanks to a surprisingly solid 36-46 season. Now, Portland is considered a team to watch heading into the offseason, according to longtime NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who note that the team will have several veterans on expiring contracts to monitor: Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams, and Deandre Ayton.

Nuggets Notes: Pickett, Murray, Gordon, Jokic

April 19th, 2025 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Nuggets‘ decision to fire both general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone with less than a week left in the regular season, second-year guard Jalen Pickett began seeing his name pop up in reports about the rift between Booth and Malone prior to their dismissals.

Booth’s desire for Malone to play Pickett more often – including over free agent addition Russell Westbrook – was cited as one of the sources of disagreement between the two franchise leaders. Those differences of opinion reportedly created tension in the organization and factored into the decision to let them both go.

“To be mentioned in these things, it’s kinda crazy,” Pickett acknowledged to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required) on Friday. “But growing up, you always want to be on this stage. So you gotta just accept everything that comes with it, at this point.”

After logging just 122 total minutes for the Nuggets as a rookie, Pickett has seen his role expand this season, especially in recent weeks. He averaged 24.5 minutes per night and earned four starts in Denver’s final eight games of the regular season. While it remains to be seen how much run he’ll get in the playoffs, Pickett is trying to focus on how he can help his team get past the Clippers rather than dwelling on how a managerial disagreement over his usage might’ve led to organizational changes.

“Can’t really focus on that type of stuff,” Pickett said. “Can’t control anything that happens in this business, as you can see from this year. But, just when my number’s called, I’m going to be ready each and every time I step on the floor. And that’s whatever the team needs me to do at this stage.”

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

While Denver can count on superstar center Nikola Jokic to contribute at a high level in the postseason, Jokic and the Nuggets will need the 2020 bubble version of Jamal Murray if they hope to have a shot at another title, opines Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Murray averaged 26.5 points per game on .505/.453/.897 shooting during that postseason. “This is going to be a tough series for (Jamal),” interim head coach David Adelman said. “(The Clippers) have a lot of people to throw at him. And I think the biggest thing for us is, these guys — me, the staff — have to help Jamal. Because if we can get him free, we know what he’s capable of.”
Veteran forward Aaron Gordon has a long-term contract that keeps him under team control through at least 2028, but if the Nuggets can’t get past the first round in this year’s playoffs, could his days in Denver come to an end this offseason? Troy Renck of The Denver Post weighs that question, pointing out that Gordon might be more valuable as a trade chip in the event of a reboot than Murray or Michael Porter Jr.
In a pair of additional stories for The Denver Post, Durando explains why his Most Valuable Player vote went to Jokic and takes an in-depth look at how Adelman and the Nuggets have designed their offense around the three-time MVP in a way that maximizes his abilities while continuing to expand his boundaries. “Basically, for the last eight years, we have been watching the best players in our league that are not centers, and we’re saying that our guy can do everything they can do,” Adelman told The Denver Post. “Plus what a big guy does.”

Nuggets Notes: Adelman, Kroenke, Braun, Jokic

April 17th, 2025 at 10:58pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Nuggets interim coach David Adelman is trying to drown out the noise with the playoffs approaching, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes. He’s not thinking of the playoffs as an audition for a full-time role.

“You’re going to think I’m lying, but I haven’t thought about that,” Adelman said. “This thing has happened so fast, and my No. 1 concern was getting this team, this group of people [into] the playoffs.”

Denver was able to stay afloat after firing Michael Malone late into the season — the team managed to hang onto a top-four seed when it was at risk of dropping to the play-in.

“I see this as: This franchise, this organization already has given me a chance right here,” Adelman said. “I owe them that.”

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Vice chairman Josh Kroenke said he considered making the coaching and general manager changes around Thanksgiving, as opposed to this late in the year, per ESPN. However, he allowed the team some time to come together after an up-and-down start before ultimately reaching the same conclusion. Kroenke, who vowed to continue instilling energy into this iteration of the Nuggets, also made an interesting comment about the team’s approach to the trade market: “I’m not going to be green-lighting any trades around here when I don’t see complete organizational cohesion and we’re not maximizing the group we got.”
Christian Braun enjoyed a career year for the Nuggets and attributes much of his success to the help and pointers Nikola Jokic has given him over the years. “It’s all credit to Nikola,” Braun said. “He’ll grab you during the game, and he’ll tell you, ‘I want you here because they’re gonna do this.’ He’ll know three steps ahead. The credit doesn’t go to me.” Jokic has a history of elevating his teammates, The Athletic’s Fred Katz writes, with former Denver guard Bruce Brown and former Serbian national teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic among those who spoke to Katz about the three-time MVP’s impact.
The clock is ticking on the Nuggets to get an extension done with Jokic, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report writes. Jokic’s contract runs through 2026/27, with a player option for ’27/28. Jokic will become extension-eligible on July 8 and could add upward of $149.4MM in new money on an extension over three years at that time — or he could wait until July 2026 and add $230.6MM in new money across four years. Pincus explores all possibilities and angles of an extension and digs into what it would mean for Denver if the star center doesn’t agree to a deal.

Scotto’s Latest: Green, Pelicans, Borrego, Suns, Adelman, Sixers

April 16th, 2025 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin wanted to fire head coach Willie Green earlier in the season, but was denied by ownership, which has maintained its support for Green, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

A former assistant in Phoenix, Green has been mentioned as a possible target for the Suns as they seek a new head coach of their own. But now that Griffin has been let go by the Pelicans and replaced by Joe Dumars, Green’s hold on his job in New Orleans looks significantly less tenuous.

Dumars, who nearly drafted Green back in 2003 when he was running Detroit’s front office, is considered likely to retain the former NBA guard as New Orleans’ coach, according to Scotto.

While Green may not emerge as a serious candidate for the job in Phoenix, his top assistant James Borrego is expected to receive consideration from the Suns and other clubs with head coaching openings this spring, league sources tell HoopsHype. If Griffin had remained in the Pelicans’ front office, Borrego may have ended up replacing Green as New Orleans’ coach, Scotto notes, but with Green likely to stick around, changes are expected to be made to his staff, making Borrego a candidate to depart.

Here are a few more items of interest from Scotto:

Veteran NBA executive Scott Perry and Bucks VP of global scouting Ryan Hoover, both of whom worked with Dumars in Detroit, are viewed as candidates to join the Pelicans‘ front office this offseason, according to Scotto, who points out that Perry also has a connection to Green, having worked in Orlando’s front office when the current Pelicans coach was a Magic player.
Scotto confirms several of the potential Phoenix coaching candidates identified earlier this week by Chris Haynes and adds another name to the list, suggesting that Rockets assistant Ben Sullivan could get a look from the Suns. Scotto also writes that front office changes remain in play in Phoenix, where general manager James Jones is on an expiring contract and his future with the club is considered “murky.”
Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman, who has the support of stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, has a “real chance” to earn the permanent job in Denver, Scotto reports. An extended postseason run would presumably go a long way toward making Adelman the frontrunner.
Although the Sixers don’t plan to make a head coaching change this offseason, there’s an expectation that there will be some changes made to Nick Nurse‘s coaching staff, league sources tell HoopsHype.

Nuggets Name Ben Tenzer Interim GM

April 14th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke announced that vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer has been named the team’s interim GM (Twitter link).

Tenzer was a minor league coordinator for the Nuggets from 2005-09 and a legal extern in 2012 before being formally hired by the organization in 2013 as its director of team operations.

He has since worked his way up the basketball operations department, serving this past season as the general manager of Denver’s G League team (the Grand Rapids Gold) in addition to holding the title of Nuggets VP of basketball operations. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link), Tenzer is considered a salary cap expert.

A report last week indicated that Kroenke himself would serve as the Nuggets’ president of basketball operations – assisted by Tenzer and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis – until the club hires a permanent replacement for GM Calvin Booth.

It’s safe to assume that Kroenke will still be the one signing off on any roster moves or personnel decisions Denver makes, but it sounds as if Tenzer will handle the day-to-day GM duties for now. With no trades or free agent signings permitted during the postseason, the Nuggets shouldn’t face any real roster decisions until this summer.

A full-fledged search for Booth’s replacement will be conducted once the Nuggets’ season comes to an end, Durando confirms.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

During Monday’s media session, Kroenke disputed a report which stated the Nuggets have been reluctant to trade Michael Porter Jr. due to his ties to the University of Missouri (which Porter and Kroenke both attended). According to Kroenke, the Nuggets are willing to trade anyone to improve their roster, as Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette relays (via Twitter).
Kroenke also pushed back on rumors that Russell Westbrook caused any problems in the Nuggets’ locker room, telling reporters that he “can’t say enough good things” about his experience with Westbrook and referring to the veteran guard as a “spicy ingredient” the team needed (Twitter links via Benedetto and Durando).
Jamal Murray, who had only played for Michael Malone since entering the NBA in 2016, spoke on Friday about the dismissal of the Nuggets’ longtime head coach, as Durando writes for The Denver Post. “I think he’s done a great job of also setting the example for the group behind us — not just us but for the group behind us,” Murray said. “He always preached a lot of sacrifice and playing for one another and stuff, but I thought Coach always showed a lot of humility in himself. Always taking control of the room. Always hating to lose. He was always setting the tone in that regard. So it sucks to kind of see him go like that, especially the way it happened this late (in the season). But we’re still gonna remain in contact and stuff like that.”
If interim head coach David Adelman leads the Nuggets to at least the second round of the playoffs, the team should give him the full-time job, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Inside The Nuggets’ Firing Of Michael Malone, Calvin Booth

April 12th, 2025 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had lost the support of virtually the entire locker room by the time he and general manager Calvin Booth were fired earlier this week, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required) reports within an investigation of what went wrong in Denver.

Malone was a strong-willed coach whose emotions varied greatly depending on whether the team won or lost, sources tell Fischer. Many players found that experience grating and began to tune him out.

“I can’t say any player was vouching for him,” one source told Fischer, while another said “this thing is broken” after a loss to Indiana last week.

As several other reports have indicated, Malone and Booth had a strained relationship and rarely communicated other than to discuss matters involving the team. Booth turned down a contract extension prior to the season, believing it was below his market value, and it was widely believed that Malone’s time in Denver would have ended this offseason if Booth had accepted the offer and remained GM.

Much of their conflict stemmed from Malone’s preference to rely on experienced veterans at the expense of younger talent, which Fischer notes is a practice that pre-dates Booth’s arrival to the team. Fischer points to Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the most sought-after free agents on last year’s market, as the best example. Hartenstein could have developed into a reliable backup for Nikola Jokic, but Malone only used him in 30 games during the 2020/21 season before he was traded to Cleveland at the deadline.

A similar situation played out last year with Jay Huff, who has blossomed this season in Memphis. Sources tell Fischer that Booth and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis both implored Malone to play Huff, who was on a two-way contract at the time, but he only got into 20 games and averaged 2.5 minutes per night.

While Christian Braun eventually broke through and has established himself as a reliable starter, Malone was pushing to trade him for a more established player leading up to the 2024 deadline, sources tell Fischer.

Fischer points out that despite their animosity, Malone and Booth were able to produce the most successful seasons in Nuggets history, winning the NBA title in 2023 and matching the franchise record for victories with 57 last year.

Much of the frustration stemmed from Malone’s refusal to give regular minutes to the young players Booth brought in after Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left in free agency. Fischer notes that Booth had a sign-and-trade opportunity with the Mavericks last summer involving Caldwell-Pope, but he didn’t want to strengthen the roster of the defending Western Conference champions.

The Nuggets were quiet at this year’s trade deadline, as Booth said potential deals would have to involve Zeke Nnaji‘s $8.8MM salary and Dario Saric‘s $5.1MM. Fischer hears that Denver expressed interest in several players — including Terance Mann, who was ultimately dealt to Atlanta — but Booth felt the price was too high and many potential trading partners shied away from Saric because he holds a player option for next season.

The front office also considered trade options that would turn Michael Porter Jr.‘s $36MM salary into multiple players on lesser deals, according to Fischer. He adds that it never got past the conceptual stage, noting that the Kroenkes are fond of Porter because he’s a Missouri alum just like they are, and they’re considered unlikely to trade him away.

Nuggets players are more supportive of interim coach David Adelman, and Fischer hears that he’ll get a chance to keep the job on a permanent basis. Fischer notes that Booth wasn’t immediately replaced, but sources tell him the team will conduct a search for a new head of basketball operations while keeping most of the current front office together. Fischer mentions Minnesota general manager Matt Lloyd as a name to watch.

The biggest question hanging over the Nuggets as the season winds down is whether Jokic might grow tired of all the chaos and ask for a trade. Fischer states that the three-time MVP has shown no indication of wanting out, but adds that rival teams are sure to be calling with offers this summer.

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