According to multiple reports, Nikola Jokic was not always seeing Michael Malone in a positive light. In fact, the three-time MVP grew “frustrated” and “fatigued” by his coaching style.

Beyond the frustration and fatigue of his style, the way the team was operating since the middle of March made Jokic start to lose patience.

Per the man himself, owner Josh Kroenke came to Jokic about his decision and the big man accepted it with no problems. He stated he knew before everyone else about the eventual changes happening within the organization.

Kroenke tried making the Calvin Booth, Malone dynamic work. However, both men held no relationship and almost to the point of pure hatred and refusal to work with each other.

“The stuff off the court was even worse than the stuff on the court,” one Nuggets source said. “Everyone felt the weight of it.”

Per The Athletic, after the Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins games away from the postseason, this influenced Denver’s decision to end the relationship with their own head coach.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, confirmed by the organization, the Denver Nuggets have made the stunning move to fire general manager Calvin Booth three games before the postseason begins.

Booth has been operating the Nuggets officially since 2022, this was the year fans saw Tim Connelly depart to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For Booth, his relationship with the Nuggets began back in July of 2020, where he was named assistant general manager.

“I want to thank Calvin Booth for leading our front office for the past three years,” Kroenke said. “And most importantly for helping put the final pieces in place for the roster that delivered Denver and our fans their first NBA Championship. Calvin’s knowledge of the game, his passion for scouting, and his long history as a player and executive in the NBA helped lift our organization to new heights which we will continue moving forward. We are grateful to Calvin for his eight years with the Nuggets and know his place in Nuggets history as our first championship-winning GM will be honored for years to come.”

Per ESPN, entering this season, both Booth and head coach Michael Malone had growing tension and this “Cold War” type relationship between each other. They often weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, they disagreed heavily, and rarely spoke to each other.

Denver has decided to move off both of them before the postseason. The team was 47-32 heading into Tuesday’s decision.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, confirmed by the organization, Michael Malone has been fired as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets.

In a rather shocking move, something of this magnitude to be considered historic, Denver only have three games left in the regular season. They hold a 47-32 record, which placed them for fourth in the Western Conference.

Malone is a highly respected coach within the NBA, as he is Denver’s winningest head coach in franchise history. Plus, in 2023, fans around the world saw him, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray win the NBA Finals.

The owner of the Nuggets says they’ll remain competitive, still compete for a championship, as this move allows them to go higher than before.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Josh Kroenke, vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said in a team statement. “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.

“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship-level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver.”

While fans were still trying to process the ground-breaking news, Denver announced that assistant coach David Adelman will become the interim head coach. Adelman has been with the team since 2017.