Josh Kroenke stunned the NBA world when he abruptly fired head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth last month. Why take such a drastic step with the playoffs right around the corner? Everyone wondered. Turns out, the reason behind it was the rising tension between Malone and Booth, reportedly leading to a toxic atmosphere in the organization. “I was really feeling like things weren’t headed in the right direction,” Kroenke remarked.

Now that the Nuggets’ season is over, the President has already begun filling the vacant leadership spots. Earlier today, Kroenke announced, “We’re going to move forward with David Adelman as our head coach.” Yes, Adelman will no longer have the interim tag next to his head coaching designation as his role has been upgraded to permanent. Kroenke was clearly impressed by how well Adelman performed under pressure, despite the sudden transition right before the playoffs.

He won all three regular-season games as the interim head coach and led the Nuggets to the West Semis, taking on the top-seeded Thunder in seven games. So, it makes perfect sense to give Adelman a shot at running the team with an entire offseason to prepare and strategize. Meanwhile, Josh has another big decision to make – hiring a new GM. Following Booth’s firing, Ben Tenzer was promoted to the interim GM role for the playoffs. But just because Adelman got the full-time job does not mean Josh will do the same for Tenzer.

“You know, there are a lot of different traits that go into different general managers, Presidents of basketball, however you wanna refer to them. But it’s about finding the right mix,” Kroenke remarked. Moreover, he is willing to let go of his old habit of promoting within the organization if he finds the right candidate externally. The 45-year-old added, “I’ve promoted from within for several cycles now. Am I going to do that again? I am not a 100% sure.”

He continued, “I would be naïve if I didn’t think about soliciting opinions outside these walls, whether that’s from some of my own basketball contacts or hiring a firm that perhaps might be able to give me a list of some of the brightest upcoming minds in the league. But I got a lot of great relationships around basketball. I’m gonna be leaning on them heavily. I’ve already had a lot of people reaching out.”

Kroenke’s priority is finding the best candidate, whether it’s from within the organization or not.

Josh Kroenke is “embracing” the pressure to win another title with Nikola Jokić amid an uncertain future

While Josh is busy determining the best candidate to become the Nuggets’ new GM, one key position is currently locked. Nikola Jokić is the face of the franchise. But for how long? Well, Jokic has three years left on his contract, with a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28. So, he is here to stay. However, Kroenke can further solidify his stay by offering him a contract extension this summer. Jokic is eligible to ink a three-year, $212 million extension. Obviously, Josh will do everything he can to make it official because the 30-year-old is the greatest player in franchise history and is arguably the best player in the world.

Kroenke even confirmed that he is looking forward to winning big with the Serbian superstar, “The pressure of a team with Jokic or trying to win the title, we embrace it. 10 years ago, we would have been killing to be in this position, and this was our goal to be in this position and be having this type of pressure year in year out. So, to be here and finally feel it, it’s a lot, but it’s energizing and it’s right where we wanna be.”

The vision is clear, and Kroenke has his eyes set on the prize. Now, all he needs is a capable GM to build a championship squad around the center and get ready for next season.