After a long-awaited period of time following the firings of Michael Malone and Calvin Booth, the Denver Nuggets have completed their organizational restructure.
It was announced earlier today that both Nuggets Interim General Manager Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace of the Minnesota Timberwolves would share responsibilities within the front office.
We have named Ben Tenzer as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and Jon Wallace as Executive Vice President of Player Personnel. pic.twitter.com/Pkzzw16EVs
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 23, 2025
From the press release: “We have the utmost confidence in both Ben and Jon,” shared Owner/Governor Stan Kroenke. “They have been integral parts of our team already, so we know their dedication and hard work first-hand and we’re looking forward to their continued growth and the vision they have for this team.”
“As we sought to re-imagine the Nuggets front office, we are excited to kick off the work for the upcoming season with Ben and Jon leading the way,” shared Vice Chaiman Josh Kroenke.”
It’s a unique situation but not one dissimilar from how the Nuggets managed the late 2000’s with Mark Warkentien, Rex Chapman, and Bret Bearup making decisions as a collective unit. That situation, while convoluted, proved to be successful for the Nuggets, who won 50+ games every season, traded for both Allen Iverson and then Chauncey Billups, and made the Western Conference Finals in 2009.
The Nuggets now have a very delicate situation trying to build a contender around Nikola Jokic. The internal belief is that they’re mostly ready to go and simply need one or two more moves on the edges to reclaim a Larry O’Brien trophy. Whether that is true or not is up for debate, but it emphasizes that this structure, led by two first time leading executives, is unlikely to rock the boat for the foreseeable future. If the Nuggets are truly a contender, it will be up to Wallace and Tenzer to put the finishing touches on a roster already assembled. The Nuggets do not have a draft pick this season which simplifies the process. They will do what they can with the limited resources that they have.
In addition, the most important move the Nuggets front office can make is gain a commitment from Nikola Jokic on a three-year $212 million maximum extension that he’s eligible for starting on July 8th. That is just over two weeks from today. If the Nuggets can get that, everything else can occurred at a slightly more relaxed pace.
In future seasons, the organization will be stress tested in a variety of ways. Assuming the team has a similar season to each of the last two years (50+ wins, winning a first round series, not winning a championship) then the pressure will be amplified to make more significant changes. How the Nuggets front office handles those moments with a multi-pronged approach will be very interesting. The Nuggets will have to remain in lockstep in order to stay aligned as an organization, and that may be difficult with an abnormal structure.
Still, it’s important to see what the team has in store for the fan base over the next few weeks and beyond. If the Nuggets can add the requisite talent to place themselves near the top of the title race, all will be forgiven and forgotten. At the end of the day, it’s about getting the players necessary to win big. The Nuggets feel like they’re nearly there. Let’s see whether that’s true.