The Golden State Warriors added De'Anthony Melton on Wednesday, bringing him back on a two-year, $11 million deal. And while that move fits the kind of value signing fans have been asking for, there’s one part of the reaction that’s missing the mark.
A lot of supporters are tossing Melton into the same bucket as Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, treating all three as veterans the Warriors will need to babysit because of injury concerns. That’s not really the right read on Melton.
He’s 28, and by the end of last season he was no longer on a minutes restriction and was even playing in back-to-backs. That matters.
It’s also worth noting that the 6'2" guard was averaging nearly 25 minutes per game after the All-Star break, which is about the workload he should be handling anyway. After the torn ACL he suffered in November 2024, Melton is now further removed from that rehab and finally gets a full offseason and preseason to focus on his game instead of recovery.
That puts him in a different category from Porzingis, Horford and a lot of the other veteran names on Golden State’s roster. Melton should be on the upswing, not the back end. He’s the kind of middle-of-his-career player the Warriors don’t have enough of, and that’s what makes this deal so interesting.
If he keeps improving and lands in the right role, this could end up being a strong move for the franchise. It could also put Melton in position to decline the player option next season and chase a bigger payday in free agency next year.
The real concern with the signing isn’t that Golden State will have to manage Melton during the regular season. It’s that the Warriors look like they’re bringing back much of the same group that finished 10th in the Western Conference.
That changes if they land LeBron James in free agency. Short of that, or some major trade, the roster still looks pretty familiar, and Golden State will begin next season with nearly $70 million on the sidelines with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
That’s the bigger issue hanging over the Horford, Porzingis and Melton additions. The front office still has a few days to alter the picture, but for now, the Warriors are looking a lot like a team trying to run it back.
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