Sports
NBA Rumors: Michael Malone, Nuggets Agree to New Contract to Be Among Top-Paid HCs – Bleacher Report
The Denver Nuggets agreed to a contract extension with head coach Michael Malone, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The full terms are unclear, but Wojnarowski reported the deal will “make him one of the NBA’s highest paid coaches.”
The Nuggets have a .580 winning percentage (375-272) since hiring Malone in 2015, and he guided them to their first championship last season.
Denver hasn’t encountered any sort of title hangover yet, sitting atop the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks at 8-2. The team’s top stars are all performing at their expected levels as well.
Nikola Jokić is averaging 29.8 points and an NBA-best 13.7 rebounds while shooting 60.6 percent from the field.
Jamal Murray is also knocking down 43.8 percent of his three-pointers, while Michael Porter Jr. is putting up 16.9 points and 8.2 boards per contest.
Success is never guaranteed, but the Nuggets’ 2023 championship run may not be the only time they’re the last team standing. Jokić, Murray and Porter are all in their respective primes, and the pair of Jokić and Porter are signed through at least 2026-27.
Giving Malone a new contract was a no-brainer based on what he has done so far and what he and Denver might accomplish in the near future.
Malone can also probably thank Monty Williams a little bit for his pay raise.
The Detroit Pistons gave Williams a deal reportedly worth $78.5 million over six years, the biggest in league history, in the offseason. That supercharged the coaching market, with Gregg Popovich reportedly inking a five-year, $80 million pact to extend his stay with the San Antonio Spurs.
One would expect Malone’s new salary to be comparable to that of Williams and Popovich.