Last season was a moving target for the Warriors, and for De’Anthony Melton, that meant learning on the fly. He said the team essentially had “three different rosters” because of injuries, a churn that pushed him through multiple roles and made him adapt in real time. The season still ended at 37-45 with a loss in the play-in tournament, but Melton said the chaos gave him something to build on.
Melton’s year started late. He was still working back from the torn ACL he suffered in 2024 and didn’t make his debut until December.
It took him about a month to get his shot back, according to Luca Evans of The San Francisco Chronicle, but once January arrived he had settled in as a productive bench scorer. Then the injuries kept coming.
Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry were sidelined, and by February Melton had been moved into the starting lineup as an off guard. By March, Golden State was leaning on him even more to handle the ball and help create offense.
“It was just tough,” Melton said. “Trying to figure out what we needed as a team, and then what services me best as a player, but then also having to do certain things that - I exerted a lot of energy just trying to create the offense and create advantages and stuff like that. And, also, having to go on the other end and guard the best players.”
Now Melton is back with the Warriors after re-signing this summer, and the situation has a familiar feel. Butler is still coming back from an ACL tear and does not have a definite return timetable.
Curry may also be handled carefully after a knee issue limited him for much of the second half of last season. Moses Moody is also recovering from a torn patellar tendon.
So Melton could be in line for another season with shifting responsibilities, and he’s embracing it. He said he wants to become more efficient as a playmaker and welcomes the added burden.
“That’s something I want to do,” he said. “And you should want more of a burden on you, on your shoulders.
You know what I mean? That’s how valuable you are.
And it’s like, you’re capable of it, so go do it.”
Georges Niang also has a Warriors story with some history behind it. He was in training camp with the 2017/18 title team, but Golden State waived him before the season began, leaving him to wait nearly a decade for his debut with the franchise. On the Not Even D2 podcast, Niang, who signed a one-year deal last month, said that experience stuck with him and helped shape why he wanted to join the Warriors now.
“I think it’s the way that they play,” he said. “… Being on the other team, I don’t think people understand how much you worry about a guy like (Steph Curry). There’s been so many times where we’ve been up 15 or 16 against the Warriors in the fourth quarter with 2 minutes to go, and we’re still like ‘All right, the game’s not over.’”
Draymond Green also weighed in on expansion on his latest podcast, saying dilution of talent is a problem for team executives and the league to figure out, not the players. He also said there were “13 teams tanking last year.”
In Other News...
Warriors Just Got A Fascinating Opening In Their Center Search
Jalen Durens contract situation in Detroit has become one of the more intriguing front-office watch items around the league, and it matters for Golden State because the Warriors are still hunting for a long-term answer at center. The Pistons big man is a restricted free agent, but he is reportedly weighing whether to pass on a massive extension and keep his options open, which would shift the timeline on his next contract and put more teams on alert.
For the Warriors, the appeal is obvious if Duren gets to unrestricted free agency next summer. They are projected to have significant cap space and have not settled the starting center spot for the long haul, so a younger interior anchor would fit a need they have been trying to solve for some time. If Duren does become available, Golden State could be in position to make a serious run at a player who would instantly change the way it thinks about that part of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Steph Currys Next Warriors Deal Could Shift His Career Control
Stephen Curry and the Warriors are still expected to keep their partnership intact beyond the 2026-27 season, but the timing of his next deal could carry more weight than the simple question of how long he stays in Golden State. Curry has already reached a stage where contract details are less about leverage in the usual sense and more about control, and the franchise has made clear it would only consider moving him if he asked for it.
The wrinkle is that no-trade clauses are rare, with Damian Lillard the only player known to have one explicitly, and Currys path to that kind of protection appears to depend on how he handles his next contract. If he waits, the door opens to a level of say few stars ever get. If he signs sooner, the decision could be taken out of his hands. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Are Watching One Orlando Situation For A Much Bigger Reason
The Warriors are keeping a close eye on Orlando for a reason that goes beyond one contract negotiation. The Magic are sorting through extension talks with guard Anthony Black, while also trying to settle into a new era under coach Sean Sweeney after a summer of change. With expiring contracts and draft capital in the picture, Orlando has enough moving parts to make its roster worth tracking if things do not come together quickly.
From Golden States side, that kind of uncertainty can become opportunity. The Warriors are looking ahead to possible trade and free-agent openings next year, and the Magics situation has put them on the radar as a team that could shift direction if the season starts poorly. For now, it is just monitoring, but in this league that is often the first step before something much larger starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]