Malone’s contract with the Denver Nuggets has been extended, Breaking NBA Coaches’ Record

 

The Denver Nuggets have agreed to a contract extension with head coach Michael Malone, who will become one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA once the new agreement takes effect, according to The Athletic.

Malone’s new contract does not specify how much he will earn annually or in total. Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs ($16 million), Monty Williams of the Detroit Pistons ($13 million), Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors ($9.5 million), and Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat ($8.5 million) are currently the four highest-paid head coaches in the league.

Popovich has been the Spurs’ head coach since 1996, and he has led the team to five NBA championships. Williams began his coaching career in 2019 with the Phoenix Suns, who won the Western Conference title twice during his four-year tenure and advanced to the NBA Finals in 2021. The Pistons signed him to a six-year, $78.5 million contract that can be increased to nearly $100 million if the seventh and eighth-year options are exercised and all incentives are met.

Like Popovich did for the Spurs, Kerr built the Warriors into a team that never missed the NBA Finals between 2015 and 2019, winning three titles and being in the final race to win another in 2022. Spoelstra has been the Heat’s coach since 2008. He guided the franchise to the NBA Finals six times, winning two.

Malone has now joined the four great coaches mentioned above. He took over the Nuggets in 2015 and spent the next eight seasons building a championship club and developing Nikola Jokic into a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and top-three offensive center in league history.