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What Rival Teams Were Hearing About Nikola Jokic Amid Nuggets’ Struggles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 12:51 PM ET

Despite the Dallas Mavericks trading away Luka Doncic, some teams still value "untouchable" players. The Denver Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, and the San Antonio Spurs have Victor Wembanyama. In order to appease and maximize their star, the Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone this week.

Jokic and Malone appeared to have a solid relationship, with the American coach even being brought in to advise the Serbian National Team on how to build around Jokic.

However, during Denver's recent struggles, that relationship seemed to wear thin.

While it's hard to believe that Jokic would issue a "him or me" warning to ownership, if even a whiff of the superstar being checked out made its way up the ladder, heads would certainly roll.

As Denver slid down the standings, Malone's ways were getting on the nerves of players, with Jokic allegedly leading any complaints there may or may not have been.

"The locker room was a mess, with team and league sources indicating that the franchise’s most important players, including three-time league MVP Nikola Jokić, had grown frustrated and fatigued by Malone’s fiery ways," reported The Athletic's Sam Amick.

The Nuggets, it would seem, are rightfully 100 percent invested in keeping their star happy. Time will tell if firing Malone was the right move, but for now, it seems like the organization is buying itself some time with an all-time great player, the likes of which Denver has never seen before.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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