Where Should Mike Malone Go Next After Getting Fired In Denver?

Forbes

09-04-2025

With the Denver Nuggets unexpectedly firing head coach Mike Malone 79 games into the season, logic dictates that several NBA franchises will give the Championship-winning coach a strong look this summer.
Let's take a look at three teams where Malone makes sense.
The Blazers have improved this season, and they might have just found their star moving forward, which means it's time to ask the big question: Can Chauncey Billups take them even further, or is he more of a A-to-B coach?
Malone clearly represents an upgrade as of right now, so it'd behoove the Blazers to have a strong internal discussion of the long-term picture, as Malone likely would raise their ceiling.
With the evolution of Deni Avdija, Malone would have a 6'9 playmaker, who can scan the floor, rebound at a high level, and offer scoring in a variety of ways. That's not Nikola Jokić territory, but nothing is, so he might as well lean into a young Israeli forward, with significant upside.
Look, we can sit here all day and talk about the Luka Dončić trade, but fact of the matter is this: The Mavericks believe they can compete for a title with Anthony Davis as their primary star, so if that's the expectation, why not lean into a Tier 1 head coach, and hire Malone to at least give them a fighting chance to realize their own expectation levels?
Of course, Kyrie Irving's status is still up in the air after he tore his ACL, so there are some roster issues still to iron out.
But if the Mavericks are serious about their intentions of competing for a title - regardless of how far fetched that scenario is - they need to go all-in, and get the best. That includes upgrading from Jason Kidd.
The Billy Donovan era in Chicago has been... fine. He hasn't really stood out as exceptional, nor has he proven himself to be a headache. But similar to the Mavericks, Chicago feels as though they can be competitive, and thus the same logic applies.
Why not upgrade from a mediocre head coach, especially when there's a pre-existing relationship in form of Arturas Karnišovas and Malone, from their days together in Denver?
The bigger question here might be why Malone should be interested in the job, given that Chicago doesn't have a ceiling that's particularly high, even if his presence would raise it slightly.
Regardless of where Malone ends up, he should have interest from several organizations around the league.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.