Disturbing report claims Nuggets GM and coach at odds about the team's roster

There has been plenty of concern and doubt around the Nuggets’ offseason and frankly most of their moves since winning the championship in 2023. One thing that has become abundantly clear is that the decision-makers for the team would like to lean into building with younger players through the draft.

The Nuggets have lost key veterans from the title team including Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, and most recently Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They also haven’t acquired many reliable, proven players to replace the losses, leaving the roster fairly barren behind Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr.

It has certainly been an interesting approach, one that has been questioned and even criticized by many fans and media alike. But for better or worse, rather than go all-in on winning, the organization is set on saving money, preserving flexibility, and investing in the draft.

The only problem is that coach Michael Malone hasn’t been known to trust younger players and was hesitant to play them in key moments during the playoffs. It seemed to be a weird dynamic, but as long as there was a unified front, fans needed to trust the process.

Zach Lowe reports Michael Malone and Calvin Booth not “seeing eye-to-eye”

Unfortunately, there may be some cracks as ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported on the Lowe Post podcast that coach Malone and GM Calvin Booth “aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye in Denver. To a degree even unusual for the NBA”. 

This is extremely frightening to hear. It’s one thing for fans and media members to question the moves of the organization, but the head coach is completely different. This is definitely a situation to monitor and one that could turn ugly and even disastrous if things don’t go well.

Malone hasn’t shown a willingness to heavily rely on guys like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and to a lesser extent guys like Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji. But now Booth has someone handicapped Malone as he’s taken away his veterans, even guys like Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday - who logged playoff minutes in 2024.

Booth seems to be forcing his coach’s hand - giving him no choice but to play the young guys this year. Hopefully, it goes well and Malone buys in. But if the young guys don’t live up to their billing and the team flounders out of the gates, things could get murky very quickly in Denver.