Nuggets fire Mike Malone and Calvin Booth: Coach, GM out in Denver less than two years after title, per report

The Denver Nuggets have reportedly fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, per ESPN.

It's a pair of shocking dismissals in the final week of the NBA regular season. Malone led the Nuggets to an NBA championship in 2023, less than two years ago. Denver lost in the second round of the playoffs in 2024, and the team (47-32) could finish anywhere from as high as third in the Western Conference to as low as eighth in the standings this season.

It's unclear why the Nuggets felt now was the time to remove Malone and Booth. Denver, however, is not the only postseason team to make a recent and surprising coaching change. The Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins at the end of last month. 

Malone is the winningest coach in Nuggets history and had made the postseason six consecutive times. Assistant coach David Adelman is expected to take over as interim head coach, per Chris Haynes.

Booth had been with the Nuggets since 2020.