Denver Nuggets

After recent rumors about Michael Porter Jr. being untouchable in trade talks, Denver Nuggets president Josh Kroenke clarified that speculation was false.

He started by praising Porter, but he clarified that nobody is off the table if it means improving the team.

"If it wasn't such a serious accusation, I would probably laugh a little harder," he said. "But, first of all, I'm incredibly proud of Michael...But I think that any kind of report saying that we're not open to trading everybody possible to improve the team is completely false... I'm surely not going to be green-lighting any trades around here when I don't see complete organizational cohesion and we're not maximizing the group we got."

Josh Kroenke on the report he would never trade MPJ:

"Completely false."

"I'm not going to be green-lighting any trades around here when I don't see complete organizational cohesion and we're not maximizing the group we got." pic.twitter.com/uDykjhaMxo

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 14, 2025

A report from NBA insider Jake Fischer earlier this week said that Kroenke has "a fondness for Porter that stems from deep ties to their shared alma mater: Missouri." Fischer added that sources "have maintained for some time that they struggled to envision ownership ever approving a deal that would send Porter away from the franchise."

While it's true that both Porter and Kroenke both attended Missouri, Porter played only three games with the Tigers because of a back injury that also cost him his entire rookie season.

If the time comes, it seems Kroenke would be fine with trading Porter, but it's unclear whether he'll be on the move any time soon.

Porter, in his sixth NBA season, put up some of the best numbers of his career. He averaged 18.2 points and seven boards on 50.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep. He also played 77 games, the second-most of his career.

Porter is contractually tied to Denver through the 2026-27 season.

Depending on how the playoffs go, the 2025 offseason could see a lot of changes within the Nuggets organization. The team has already fired head coach Michael Malone and will not extend general manager Calvin Booth's contract.

If Denver isn't able to make a deep playoff run, ownership could opt to make some changes to the roster either through the trade market or free agency.

Whether Porter would be apart of those potential changes remains to be seen.

The Denver Nuggets are headed back to the postseason for the seventh straight season after downing the Houston Rockets on the final day of the regular season.

Denver also clinched the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with Sunday's win.

With the win vs. Houston, the Nuggets clinch the 4-seed in the Western Conference of the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google! pic.twitter.com/LU7dNZPUKt

— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2025

Here's a glimpse at the NBA's latest Western and Eastern Conference playoff brackets and standings.

Western Conference Bracket

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) vs. No. 8 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 2 Houston Rockets (52-30) vs. No. 7 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)

No. 4 Denver Nuggets (50-32) vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (50-32)

Western Conference Standings

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14)
2. Houston Rockets (52-30)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32)
4. Denver Nuggets (50-32)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (50-32)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33)
7. Golden State Warriors (48-34)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (48-34)
9. Sacramento Kings (40-42)
10. Dallas Mavericks (39-43)
11. Phoenix Suns (36-46)
12. Portland Trail Blazers (36-46)
13. San Antonio Spurs (34-48)
14. New Orleans Pelicans (21-60)
15. Utah Jazz (17-65)

Eastern Conference Bracket

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) vs. No. 8 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 2 Boston Celtics (61-21) vs. No. 7 Seed (Determined By Play-in)

No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31) vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons (44-38)

No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32) vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (48-34)

Eastern Conference Standings

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18)
2. Boston Celtics (61-21)
3. New York Knicks (51-31)
4. Indiana Pacers (50-32)
5. Milwaukee Bucks (48-34)
6. Detroit Pistons (44-38)
7. Orlando Magic (41-41)
8. Atlanta Hawks (40-42)
9. Chicago Bulls (39-43)
10. Miami Heat (37-45)
11. Toronto Raptors (30-52)
12. Brooklyn Nets (26-56)
13. Philadelphia 76ers (24-58)
14. Charlotte Hornets (19-63)
15. Washington Wizards (18-64)

Once again, the Denver Nuggets are led by center Nikola Jokić, a three-time NBA MVP who's in contention for his fourth MVP award. Jokić has been phenomenal once again, and he became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double (Oscar Robertson, and then Russell Westbrook four times). He also became the first player in NBA history to post a 30-20-20 game.

THE JOKER DROPS THE FIRST EVER 30-20-20 GAME IN NBA HISTORY 😱🤯

UNBELIEVABLE 🃏🔥 pic.twitter.com/HNw57cBWbO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 8, 2025

In addition, Jokić dropped a 61-point triple-double in a double-overtime game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With Jokić leading the way, Denver is certainly a serious championship contender, even if the field is loaded this year between two powerhouses (the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder), the scorching-hot Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James and Luka Dončić and the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Denver still has its core four from its 2022-23 championship season in Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. But this year's team has another potent weapon in Westbrook. The Nuggets have also benefitted from the ascendance of third-year forward Christian Braun.

Ultimately, Denver should be a formidable threat and tough out in the playoffs as long as Jokić is leading this team. He's arguably playing his best-ever ball right now, and that could be quite difficult for teams to deal with this spring.

Over time, "a lack of trust that either was operating in good faith" emerged between head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with the Denver Nuggets, according to the Denver Post's Bennett Durando.

Durando reported one sore spot for Malone was the decision to let veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave and sign a $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic. The coach "grew increasingly frustrated with roster construction" at that point.

Booth, for his part, "was livid at Malone for not playing second-year wing Peyton Watson in Game 7 against the Timberwolves last season when the Nuggets blew a 20-point lead in a stunning season-ending loss," per Durando.

The GM also believed his coach "was holding back" second-year guard Jalen Pickett and using Zeke Nnaji at center instead of power forward out of spite.

The idea that Booth and Malone each had their own visions for the roster was apparent to people within the organization.

"If you're one of Calvin's guys, Malone doesn't want to play you," a source said to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne.

Another source pointed Nnaji and said the analytics were "way better" when Denver deployed him at the 4 rather than the 5.

"But if you play him as a 5, he gets exposed. Who does that make look bad?" the source said.

That Caldwell-Pope occupied such a prominent place in Malone's mind speaks to how big the divide was between he and Booth.

Caldwell-Pope was a critical role player in Denver's 2023 championship run, but his performance in the 2024 playoffs was a step below that. He shot 32.7 percent from beyond the arc as the team lost in the Western Conference semifinals.

The 32-year-old's production in 2024-25 is strengthening the logic in letting him go. He's averaging 8.8 points per game, his second-lowest tally ever, and hitting just 34.6 percent of his threes after finishing above 40 percent in his two years with the Nuggets.

Booth was in a bind with KCP in the offseason. Denver was already well into the luxury tax and matching Orlando's offer would mean going into the second apron and further tying the front office's hands. Because of the team's payroll, there was no clear path to signing an adequate replacement for Caldwell-Pope, though.

Malone was right to wonder if the Nuggets took a small step backward after KCP's departure, but it doesn't sound as though he tried very hard to make use of the talent at his disposal.

Now, Denver can hire a new head coach and general manager who share a unified mindset.

The Denver Nuggets shocked the NBA when they fired head coach Michael Malone shortly before the start of the playoffs, but there was reportedly some internal frustration from the players regarding his style that may have contributed to the move.

Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reported on the situation Saturday and highlighted how "Malone runs hot and doesn't hide it," which impacted his perception on the team.

"Players grew tired of that explosive coaching style, finding his outbursts a stale method of getting through to them, according to multiple sources familiar with their thinking," Durando wrote. "Malone's intensity had the wrong effect on a large portion of the locker room. Yelling didn't resonate. [Nikola] Jokić was aware of the increasing frustration and harbored some of his own."

That Jokić reportedly held some resentment is particularly notable, as he is the face of the franchise and one of the best players in league history as a three-time MVP who challenged for his fourth this season.

While there have been no reports to suggest the big man pushed for Malone's firing, ESPN's Shams Charania reported during Wednesday's NBA Countdown that he "understood" the team's decision after he was told.

A Friday report from ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne echoed some of Durando's reporting with one source saying, "The players were freakin' miserable, man. You could see it. The effort would come and go. I just wish it happened sooner. We wouldn't be in this mess."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast that "it got out pretty quickly in the NBA that Michael Malone's reaction to being fired was not calm."

All indications are the head coach's emotional state played a role in his firing despite what was otherwise a successful tenure that started with the 2015-16 season.

Malone went 471-327 with the Nuggets and led them to their only championship in franchise history in 2023. This is the seventh consecutive season they will be in the playoffs during a run that also saw them advance to the 2020 Western Conference Finals.

While it was a rather unceremonious end given the timing of the firing, Malone still holds an important place in Nuggets history and will surely be a candidate for future jobs around the league.

Despite firing head coach Michael Malone and revealing general manager Calvin Booth will not return next season, the Denver Nuggets will still rely on their trio of star players in Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. during the upcoming playoffs.

Yet Denver reportedly looked into trading two of those players.

Bennett Durando of the Denver Post reported Saturday that Booth "explored trades involving Jamal Murray last offseason and Porter during this season" because he "believed the sacrifice of [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and other, more significant pivots could be necessary to win a second championship."

Caldwell-Pope signed with the Orlando Magic this past offseason for three years and $66 million. 

Durando reported Denver's decision to not match the contract offer was one reason Malone had grown "increasingly frustrated with roster construction" around Jokić.

The Nuggets have one of the best players in league history who has challenged for the fourth MVP of his career this season in Jokić, although there haven't been many meaningful additions around him of late. 

In fact, trading Murray or Porter could have been a significant subtraction depending on what the front office received in return. After all, Murray (21.5 points per game) and Porter (18.1 points per game) are the second- and third-leading scorers on the team and the ones most often trusted with leading the offense outside of Jokić.

Murray has made a habit of delivering in key moments during the postseason and will surely look to do the same in the coming months.

While the Nuggets reportedly looked into trading the guard last offseason, they ultimately ended up giving him a four-year, $208 million maximum contract extension in September. Yet Porter's name was brought up in trade rumors multiple times this season, which brings his future with the organization somewhat in doubt despite his significant role.

Perhaps helping lead another championship run could give him more leverage in any future contract negotiations with the new-look front office after Booth's firing.

The long-simmering tension between head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth was impacting Denver Nuggets personnel, according to the Denver Post's Bennett Durando.

Durando reported Saturday that Malone and Booth "seldom engaged with each other" and that "factions had quietly formed within the organization." In the insider's words, people from both the coaching staff and front office eventually felt "obligated to take sides."

Durando spoke to a source who said "an 'us vs. them' type of thing" emerged.

Another source described Malone and Booth's relationship as "contentious." And rather than airing their grievances with one another in the open, they "complained behind each other's backs."

This echoes the earlier reporting on why the Nuggets fired Malone with immediate effect and said Booth's contract won't be extended.

"Coaches, front office staffers and support staff felt compelled to choose sides, multiple team sources said," ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne reported Friday. "Instead of focusing on how to get the most out of a team with a three-time MVP having arguably his best season as a professional, energy was being spent on determining which side people were on — and whether they could be trusted."

The dynamic was clearly untenable and somebody had to go. The extent to which Malone and Booth's "cold war" impacted others behind the scenes probably helps to explain why the Nuggets are moving on from both.

MacMahon and Shelburne reported that Denver's players "tuned out Malone," and there's no coming back from that as a coach. He couldn't continue in that role.

Retaining Booth then risked undermining whoever succeeds Malone as the head coach. In addition, his presence may have fostered some resentment from people who were unhappy with how everything went down.

Needing to hire a head coach and general manager simultaneously is less than ideal for a franchise with championship aspirations. Cleaning house was better than maintaining the status quo, though.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has joined Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of a regular season.

🚨 NIKOLA JOKIĆ MAKES MORE HISTORY 🚨

Tonight, Joker secured another record, as he will AVERAGE a triple-double in the 2024-25 campaign 🤯

He joins Russell Westbrook (4x) and Oscar Robertson as the ONLY players in NBA history to accomplish this feat. pic.twitter.com/OBTb5j0Ka3

— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2025

The three-time NBA MVP confirmed the honor on Friday in a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies, when he notched yet another triple-double.

Nikola Jokić notches the triple-double with his 10th AST of the night!

We've got a CLOSE one in Denver entering crunch time 🍿 pic.twitter.com/x5yAMjdDjA

— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2025

That marked Jokić's 34th triple-double of the season.

Jokić finished the game with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists, and Denver won 117-109. He's now averaging 29.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game.

On Sunday, Jokić will play his 70th and final regular season game, a road matchup against the Houston Rockets. He entered Friday with 696 assists, so he only needed four dimes for 700 total to lock in 10.0 APG for the year.

Jokić got that with ease, cementing one of the most remarkable individual seasons in NBA history. A big man had never averaged a triple-double before, with Robertson and Westbrook, who did this four times, both guards.

But Jokić got it done Friday, adding another line to a tremendous resume.

Morale among Denver Nuggets players was reportedly very low prior to Michael Malone's firing on Tuesday.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne, one Nuggets source described players as being "freakin' miserable" in the final weeks prior to Malone being dismissed.

"The players were freakin' miserable, man," the person said. "You could see it. The effort would come and go. I just wish it happened sooner. We wouldn't be in this mess."

Denver's most important player, Nikola Jokić, was also described as not being happy about the way things were without actually saying anything.

"Joker is really good at letting you know how he feels," a team source told MacMahon and Shelburne, "without saying anything."

Jokić told reporters after Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings that he sent Malone a text message upon learning about his firing. He also said Nuggets president Josh Kroenke gave him a heads up about the move before it was announced, but the three-time MVP declined to offer details of what was said in their meeting.

"I knew a little bit before everybody," Jokić said. "And he told me, 'We made a decision.' So it was not a discussion. It was a decision. He told me why. And so I listened. And I accepted it. I'm not going to tell you what he told me. I'm going to keep that private."

The Nuggets cleaned house not just by firing Malone, but also announcing they won't be renewing the contract for general manager Calvin Booth after this season.

Malone's firing has led to several stories about how things went so wrong for the Nuggets that they replaced their head coach of 10 seasons with three games remaining in the regular season.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick and Tony Jones, Denver's most important players "had grown frustrated and fatigued by Malone’s fiery ways." It was also noted that Malone and Booth had a "strained" relationship that grew worse over the course of their five seasons working together.

The Nuggets did win their first game under interim head coach David Adelman. They are currently fourth in the Western Conference standings with two games remaining, but there's only one game separating them from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the No. 8 spot.

Despite the turmoil related to the Denver Nuggets' shocking coaching change this week, superstar center Nikola Jokić is reportedly still expected to sign a contract extension with the team soon.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne, Jokić is eligible to sign a three-year, $212 million extension during the offseason, and the "assumption" across the NBA is that he will.

Already a three-time NBA MVP, Jokić is among the top MVP candidates once again this season by virtue of averaging a career-high 29.8 points per game to go along with 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists.

If the 30-year-old maintains those averages over Denver's final two games, he will become only the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Despite Jokić's dominance, the Nuggets haven't quite had the season most expected out of them.

They are currently fourth in the Western Conference at 48-32, but the Nos. 4 through 8 seeds are all within one game of each other, so Denver has yet to clinch a spot in the top six to avoid the play-in tournament.

While Denver's play has left something to be desired at times this season, it still came as a shock when the organization fired head coach Michael Malone this week with just three regular-season games remaining.

The Nuggets are less than two years removed from winning their first-ever NBA championship, and they have retained most of their key players from that team, including Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun.

Denver has lost some important depth players, though, such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Reggie Jackson, and they haven't been adequately replaced.

It is difficult to imagine that being enough for Jokić to pass up a massive contract extension, though, particularly if the Nuggets work with him on the hiring of a new head coach and general manager.

Having Jokić means closing in on a 50-win season is something of a disappointment for the Nuggets, which is a position most teams in the NBA likely wish they were in.

As long as the Nuggets have Jokić and he continues to play at a high level, they will be contenders, which is why it is paramount to get a deal done this summer and ensure his long-term future with the franchise.

Even though the Denver Nuggets' late-season slide could have provided some of the impetus for firing head coach Michael Malone and moving on from general manager Calvin Booth after this season, there were bigger problems beyond just the results of games.

One Nuggets source told The Athletic's Sam Amick and Tony Jones that the issues off the court were worse than what had been happening in games.

"The stuff off the court was even worse than the stuff on the court," the person said. "Everyone felt the weight of it."

Denver announced both Malone's firing and Booth not returning as general manager next season on Tuesday.

Even though the decision to part ways with Malone was surprising given his success with the organization over the past 10 seasons, there had been talk of a deep divide between the coaching staff and front office for some time.

Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported on Tuesday that Denver's ownership had gotten "fed up with the infighting" between Malone and Booth, including Malone not taking kindly to suggestions from the GM about who players should get more opportunities.

Amick and Jones noted Booth wanted to see young guys like Jalen Pickett and Peyton Watson get more playing time over someone like Russell Westbrook, which "truly soured" the relationship between Booth and Malone.

It didn't help matters that the Nuggets were limping to the finish line in the regular season. They are 9-11 in 20 games since March 1 and lost four straight games before Wednesday's victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Nikola Jokić is having another MVP-caliber season, but Denver's defense has cratered this season to 21st in rating after ranking in the top half of the NBA in each of the previous four years.

The 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers have the worst defensive rating by an NBA champion since 1980. They ranked 21st in that category during the regular season before going 15-1 in the playoffs.