The Denver Nuggets’ shocking decision to part ways with both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth just days before the 2025 NBA Playoffs has thrown the franchise into disarray, and at the heart of the turmoil was a growing rift between the two figures—sparked in part by the use of veteran guard Russell Westbrook.
“Booth wanted Malone to use younger players that he drafted and wanted Malone to stray away from using veterans for so many minutes. Jalen Pickett is a good example of this, according to league sources. Booth was dismayed that Malone went with Russell Westbrook over Pickett down the stretch of multiple games last week.”
According to The Athletic, a key source of tension stemmed from Booth’s frustration with Malone’s insistence on playing Westbrook over rookie guard Jalen Pickett, particularly during critical stretches of recent games.
League insiders revealed that Booth, the architect behind the Nuggets’ draft strategy and youth movement, had grown increasingly dismayed by Malone’s refusal to deviate from his veteran-heavy rotations.
The clash between development and experience quickly turned into a broader philosophical divide. Booth envisioned a future-forward Nuggets team led by Nikola Jokic but supported by young, cost-controlled talent like Pickett, Julian Strawther, and Peyton Watson.
Malone, on the other hand, remained loyal to veterans—Westbrook in particular—who he felt brought playoff-tested grit and composure, even if it came at the cost of long-term growth.
Statistically, the results were middling. The Nuggets have a 26-25 record in games where Westbrook plays 25 or more minutes, including a brutal stretch this season that saw the team lose pivotal games in which Westbrook struggled to control the tempo or make timely decisions.
While Westbrook averaged a solid 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 45.1% shooting from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc, his presence often disrupted the rhythm of an offense that typically flows through Jokic’s high-post creativity.
The situation boiled over after the Nuggets dropped four straight games and tumbled from the second seed to a precarious hold on fourth. With the team now just half a game from slipping to the eighth spot and being forced into the play-in tournament, ownership felt compelled to act.
Both Malone and Booth were relieved of their duties, signaling the franchise’s desire to hit the reset button ahead of a postseason they once hoped would end in another championship.
Sources close to the team have also cited deeper issues—namely Malone’s perceived favoritism toward Jokic and Jamal Murray, which created unease in the locker room, and Booth’s quiet exasperation over Malone’s unwillingness to adapt. The “cold war” between coach and GM reportedly led to poor communication and a toxic atmosphere that eventually infected the team’s on-court cohesion.
Now, interim head coach David Adelman has been tasked with steadying the ship and salvaging a playoff run. Whether the team can regroup in time remains to be seen, but the internal power struggle between Booth and Malone—and the polarizing presence of Westbrook—may have already inflicted lasting damage on Denver’s title hopes.
