After overhauling the roster when trading Carmelo Anthony earlier this season, the Denver Nuggets have decided they won't also be overhauling the coaching staff anytime soon after extending head coach George Karl's contract for an additional three seasons with a possibility of a fourth added as well.
The extension was first reported by ESPN's Chris Broussard.
Exact terms of the deal are not known, but one source said the multiyear extension is worth at least three years. Karl, who is making $3 million this season, had been discussing the extension for much of the season with Nuggets president Josh Kroenke and general manager Masai Ujiri.
As Broussard notes, the contract extension comes after a rough last season for the 59-year-old coach:
The extension comes after a challenging year for Karl. Diagnosed last February with neck and throat cancer, he underwent intense radiation and chemotherapy treatments that caused him to miss last season's playoffs. It was the second time Karl had been diagnosed with the disease, having overcome prostate cancer in 2005.
The Nuggets are currently holding down the fifth spot in the Western Conference with a 37-27 record despite trading away Anthony at the trade deadline. With just 18 games left in the season, the chances are good that Karl will be leading Denver to its eighth-straight playoff appearance and the seventh since Karl took over during the 2004-05 season after Jeff Bzdelik and Michael Cooper.
Karl is seventh all-time in regular season coaching wins with 1,022 victories. The only active head coach in front of him is the Lakers' Phil Jackson.
According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, Karl's attorney, Bret Adams, says Karl's deal could be as long as six years: three guaranteed with team options for years four, five and six.