De’Anthony Melton is heading into free agency after declining his $3,451,779 player option for 2026/27, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac.
The decision had been expected for a while. Multiple reports pointed to the 28-year-old testing the market, and the money on the option - a veteran’s minimum deal - made it unlikely to be the last stop on his path. Even if Melton ends up on another minimum-salary contract, he would project to top that number next season.
His first year with the Warriors took some time to get going. That was hardly a surprise after he spent a full year working back from ACL surgery, but by the time 2026 arrived, he was starting to look more like the player Golden State expected.
In a season shaped in part by injuries around him, Melton ended up taking on more offense than anyone probably planned. Across 49 games and 24 starts, he posted career highs with 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 23.0 minutes per game.
The shot profile was a mixed bag. Melton connected on a career-best 50.5% of his two-point attempts and hit 82.6% from the foul line, but his three-point stroke never quite came around. He made just 29.4% of his threes after entering 2025/26 with a 38.3% mark from beyond the arc over the previous five seasons.
A report from ClutchPoints said Melton was expected to join a new team this summer, and he was also recently linked to the Suns by local reporter John Gambadoro.
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