De'Anthony Melton is headed back to Golden State, but the Warriors’ delay in making his deal official has created a little room for intrigue.
Melton agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract with the Warriors at the start of the month, and the expectation remains that he will return. Still, the fact that the signing has not been completed has prompted questions about whether Golden State has another move lined up before everything is finalized.
Right now, the Warriors could simply sign Melton using the taxpayer mid-level exception and then fill out the rest of the roster with two or three minimum deals. That would be the straightforward route, and it remains the most likely outcome. But the team has not moved in that direction even after LeBron James’ decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers, which has kept the door open for something a little less obvious.
There is another path available if Golden State chooses to get creative. As Sam Vecenie of Game Theory noted on Thursday, the Warriors could move Moses Moody’s contract, create room to use the mid-level exception elsewhere, and then bring Melton in via the bi-annual exception instead.
Even with Melton’s long-term injury, which is expected to cost him most if not all of next season, there does not appear to be an unrestricted free agent on the market worth dumping Moody for at the moment. That could change if a buyout candidate or a player who is waived-and-stretched becomes available over the next two months, which may be part of why Golden State is waiting.
The wait also stands out because the Warriors’ summer has already been light on impact additions. They missed out on James and other notable free agents, and names like Kelly Olynyk, Brandon Williams, Gabe Vincent and a reunion with Gary Payton II have been floated as possible targets. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported Friday that Golden State has been linked to all four.
If those are the final moves, it would be a modest finish to an underwhelming offseason. That’s why the silence around Melton matters: it leaves open the possibility of a trade affecting the team’s financial picture, or at least a Moody salary dump if the right free agent unexpectedly becomes available.
Melton, for his part, will have a player option on the second year of the deal. He is coming off a strong stretch with the Warriors last season, when he averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 49 games.
In Other News...
Moses Moody Still Faces An Unsettling Warriors Offseason Twist
The Warriors offseason has taken on a familiar kind of tension, with roster spots still open and the front office weighing how aggressive it wants to be in the buyout market. Moses Moody remains a part of the picture for now, but his place is not completely locked in as Golden State continues to sort through the math and the rest of its offseason business.
One of the lingering complications is that the team still has not formally completed everything it has lined up, including the DeAnthony Melton agreement that was already reached. Until those moves are finished, Moodys standing cant be treated as entirely settled, even if the expectation is that he stays put and factors into next seasons plans. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face A Stephen Curry Decision That Could Shape Their Bench
The Warriors have spent part of the offseason trying to shore up the backup point guard spot behind Stephen Curry, and Brandon Williams has emerged as one possible answer. Williams is unsigned after the Mavericks filled out their guard room and hit the roster limit, which has left Golden State weighing whether a veteran addition from outside the organization is the cleanest way to address a bench need that has lingered.
LJ Cryer also sits in the mix as an internal option, giving the Warriors a choice between adding another free agent or leaning on a two-way guard already in the system. How they sort through that decision will say plenty about how they want to shape the rest of the bench, especially with Curry still the clear engine of the offense and the second-unit handling in need of a more stable plan. [Read more 🡒]