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Nuggets steal key Timberwolves executive, but not the one everyone expected

Published 11 hours ago3 minute read

After more than two months since firing GM Calvin Booth, the Nuggets have finally made some front office moves. The team promoted Ben Tenzer to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and hired Jon Wallace as Executive Vice President of Player Personnel. The two men will spearhead the new leadership group, with both reporting to Josh Kroenke.

The Denver Nuggets are naming Ben Tenzer as the executive vice president of basketball operations and hiring Minnesota Timberwolves executive Jon Wallace as the franchise's new executive vice president of player personnel, sources tell ESPN. Both will report to Josh Kroenke.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2025

We knew the Nuggets were looking to make an outside hire, possibly a big fish, and possibly even an old, familiar face in Tim Connelly. Denver obviously wasn't able to pull that off, but they did hire a Connelly underling in Wallace, who followed him from Denver to Minnesota, where he has been working as Director of Player Personnel and G-League GM for the Timberwolves.

Perhaps this wasn't the splash hire that many had hoped for, but that may not have been possible. At least now, there is some stability and continuity. Reinvesting in the young Wallace and getting him back in the building while luring him away from a rival is nice business.

Promoting Tenzer also seems justified and warranted, especially as he has already been acting as interim GM for the past two months. It's still bizarre that the team waited this long to make these moves, as the NBA Draft and start of free agency are just days away, but better late than never.

If there is any reason for concern here, it could be the wording that both newly promoted men will report to Kroenke. Clearly, everyone in an organization ultimately reports to ownership, but the structure here is noteworthy.

We will have to wait and see just how involved Kroenke actually is with basketball operations, but less is more. Meddling owners can be disastrous (hello, Phoenix Suns!), and that's the last thing Denver needs as they enter one of the most critical offseasons in franchise history.

It's also a bit concerning after the disastrous power dynamic we just watched play out with Michael Malone and Calvin Booth. Now, the team has two men who must call the shots together, with Kroenke making the final decisions.

Hopefully, this is mostly semantics, Josh will stay out of the way, and Wallace and Tenzer can work in tandem on a joint vision for the present and future of the Nuggets. But until we actually see it play out, we can't know for sure.

Thankfully, though, the team finally has some decision-makers in place as the heart of the NBA's offseason is just about to officially kick off.

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