Inside The Thunder

How Denver Nuggets Firing Michael Malone Affects OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting back and watching the carnage of the NBA world with everything locked up for themselves. The latest example? The Denver Nuggets cleaning house.

Rylan Stiles

Mar 9, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone watches his team play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Mar 9, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone watches his team play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The NBA is the second greatest soap opera of all time, only behind the Young and the Restless and right above General Hospital which is somehow still on TV.

Like sand through an hourglass, these are the days of our lives. You can not go a day without the latest drama-filled storyline coming to light in the National Basketball Association, from the first shocking firing of a postseason coach to the second with a player-media beef sandwich in between. Drama is never far from this league.

The latest example? The Denver Nuggets, who just hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2023, decided to clean house with the NBA Playoffs looming in 11 days.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was reported that the Nuggets have fired head coach Michael Malone and will not bring back General Manager Calvin Booth for a complete shake-up in the Mile High City.

How the Nuggets Firing Malone Impacts the OKC Thunder

The Denver Nuggets currently sit at 47-32 as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. This could present a second-round matchup for the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, the standings and tiebreakers are far from being sorted out. There is still a real path to the Nuggets tumbling to the Play-In tournament which could see the Nuggets falling to the No. 8 seed when the dust settles and taking on Oklahoma City in a first-round matchup.

Denver loses a coach who won an NBA Championship and puts in place an inexperienced bench boss in David Adelman. This doesn't sound like an upgrade on paper, but with Adelman's offensive background, perhaps he can unlock things for a Nuggets team that might rally around a new voice.

On the flip side, this late change at the coaching staff level and front office level would signal panic behind the scenes that tears apart a team that had the hopes of flipping a postseason switch from a veteran-led group once the playoffs began.

This move ties the latest a coach has ever been fired with Hubie Brown back in the 1980-81 NBA season. Never a great sign for a franchise.

Denver closes the regular season with a trip to Sacramento, hosting the Memphis Grizzlies and a trip to Houston to take on the Rockets on Sunday. This is a three-game trial run for an interim head coach before win-or-go-home stakes are introduced to the fold.

Oklahoma City sits at 64-14 with the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference lockd up long ago. All they can do for now, is sit back and watch the carnage around the NBA unfold.

From a big picture perspective, the Oklahoma City Thunder own the Denver Nuggets 2027 and 2029 First Round Picks. Because, of course they do. The Thunder will monitor the Nuggets, as the rest of the league will, extremely close. Denver's hire for their next head coach and general manager will be extremely important.

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Rylan Stiles
RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

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