Nuggets Begin Rebuilding Coaching Staff Ahead of 2025-26 Season
New head coach David Adelman begins shaping his team this offseason.
After being knocked out of the Western Conference semifinals in a seven-game series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets face a pivotal offseason. With significant changes already made at the end of the regular season, the franchise has begun making major personnel decisions.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that the Nuggets have decided not to renew the contracts of four assistant coaches: Ryan Saunders, Popeye Jones, Charles Klask, and Stephen Graham. Notably, all four were part of the coaching team when the Nuggets captured the 2023 NBA championship, but now find themselves leaving the organization.
Ryan Saunders, son of legendary NBA coach Flip Saunders, joined Denver in 2022 following a disappointing stint as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Popeye Jones, who played in the NBA for 11 seasons, has served on various coaching staffs over the past 17 years and was hired by Denver in 2021. Charles Klask, who has held multiple NBA roles since 2000, became part of the Nuggets’ staff in 2018. Stephen Graham, the longest-serving assistant among the group, started with the franchise in 2016 after coaching briefly in the G-League.
Their exits were anticipated following the firing of head coach Michael Malone in April, just three games before the regular season concluded. Malone, who was likely responsible for assembling that assistant staff, was replaced on an interim basis by David Adelman. Adelman led the Nuggets through one playoff round before their elimination and was officially named head coach soon after.
The organization is now focused on constructing Adelman’s coaching team for the future, with these staff departures marking the beginning of that transition.
