Nuggets coach Michael Malone at odds with front office?

Feb 5, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reacts during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

There may be some trouble in paradise for a recent NBA champion.

During the latest episode of his show “The Lowe Post,” Zach Lowe of ESPN made an interesting claim about the Denver Nuggets. Lowe said that there are rumors about Nuggets head coach Michael Malone supposedly not seeing eye-to-eye with the front office.

“There are rumblings … that the coaching staff and front office, or at least the head coach and the front office, aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye in Denver,” said Lowe, per RealGM. “To a degree [that is] even unusual for the NBA.”

Malone, who has coached Denver since 2015, has carved out a long runway for himself after leading the team to the NBA title in 2023 and subsequently getting rewarded with an extension that runs through 2027. But that does not change the fact that the Nuggets are now facing an uncertain pathway forward.

After a surprise second-round playoff exit last season, the Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and didn’t do much to improve otherwise besides signing a soon-to-be 36-year-old Russell Westbrook off the buyout market. Denver also still has to figure out their long-term plan with core players Jamal Murray (set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025) and Aaron Gordon (also able to test free agency in 2025 by turning down his player option) due for new contracts.

It is worth noting that Nuggets GM Calvin Booth ascended to his position in 2020 and thus did not choose Malone, who was already entrenched as head coach when Booth took over. Thus, it would not be shocking for them to be butting heads, especially with Malone showing apparent signs of discontent at the end of last season.