Michael Malone has been connected to coaching another superstar center
Apr 9, 2025, 10:59 AM
A day after the Denver Nuggets shocked the NBA world and fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, people are still trying to wrap their heads around the decision. While the Nuggets are trying to figure out how to regain focus on Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, a crucial game for playoff positioning, other people in the NBA are focused on where the former Nuggets head coach will end up next season.
Malone is known for his ability to utilize a superstar center, as he has been the only head coach for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in his 10-year career. Shortly after the news dropped that Malone’s time in Denver had come to an end, he was quickly linked to another superstar center.
Keep a close eye on Michael Malone being Gregg Popovich's successor in San Antonio.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 8, 2025
With legendary head coach Greg Popovich’s future up in the air, it is a possibility that the Spurs find themselves looking for someone to lead Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the young talent on that roster. Popovich suffered a mild stroke back in November, and his future in coaching was determined to be uncertain in February.
Would Malone be a good fit for San Antonio?
The obvious correlation between his time in Denver and what he would have in San Antonio is the superstar at the center position. However, coaching Nikola Jokic is not the same beast as coaching Wembanyama. The French star is a force defensively and has a much different offensive game than Jokic does, shooting almost nine 3-pointers per game. Malone designed an offense that worked to the strengths of Jokic, but could he design a completely different offense to work with the strengths of Wemby?
It’s also well known that one of the things that sparked the Cold War in Denver’s organization is how Malone stayed away from playing young players while Calvin Booth wanted the Nuggets to reload through the draft with prospects. Down in San Antonio, there’s a whole lot of young guys and not many veterans. Chris Paul will be 40 years old and a free agent next season, Harrison Barnes will be 33 years old in the last year of his contract, and Bismack Biyombo will also be a free agent. De’Aaron Fox, who was drafted in 2017, is slated to be the second-oldest player on the team next year.
That’s not a bad thing by any means. The Spurs have a lot of young talent on the roster, but will Malone utilize it all if he ends up being the coach there? Wembanyama is the next prodigy in the league, Stephon Castle is the heavy favorite to win this season’s Rookie of the Year award and Jeremy Sochan will be in just 21 years old.
That shouldn’t be an issue for Malone, but as seen with how things ended in Denver, he would have to be on the same page as the Spurs’ front office in order to bring success to the Alamo City.
There’s a lot of time between now and when Malone finds a new job in the NBA. It’s still a possibility that Popovich returns to San Antonio, but battling a stroke at his age is a challenge and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he called it a career. If he does, Malone will surely be a top candidate for the franchise’s coaching search.
