There was arguably no more controversial signing this offseason than Gary Trent Jr.'s four-year, $64 million contract to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving a dangerous precedent for the Golden State Warriors when it comes to De'Anthony Melton next summer.
Trent's egregious contract after a disappointing season has even prompted an NBA investigation into potential salary cap circumvention, with Melton eligible to sign a similar deal next offseason after re-signing with the Warriors on a two-year, $12.4 million deal in recent weeks.
Gary Trent Jr. contract sets a dangerous precedent for Warriors
According to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron, the Warriors and Melton are likely to find a longer team deal together next offseason so long as the 28-year-old has a reasonable year after being further removed from his torn ACL injury.
"I do kind of the get the idea that both sides are understanding if this goes well, this will go into a better deal. He'll have early bird rights after this year, so he can opt out. He'd be allowed to re-sign for four years, $72 million. So, it's kind of like the Trent Jr. situation except Melton's a lot better," Gozlan said.
Melton's a lot better based on last season's form, even though he wasn't overly efficient after being asked to scale up into a bigger role following injuries to Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. Yet a lot can happen in 12 months, and most would have identified Trent as the more valuable player this time last year.
Trent's contract could be used by many players around the league in their own free agency negotiations, but particularly a player like Melton who plays a similar position and who can claim to be just as, if not more valuable.
De'Anthony Melton contract could be complicated by Brandin Podziemski
While Melton may have his eyes on a four-year, $72 million contract next offseason, that could be significantly influenced by not just his own form, but what the Warriors wind up doing with Brandin Podziemski.
Podziemski is extension eligible and will likely command at least the $18 million annual salary that Melton could seek, leaving Golden State potentially paying $100 million for a three-guard rotation if Stephen Curry also signs a two-year, $136.7 million extension.
Given a Curry-Podziemski-Melton trio is hardly the best guard rotation in the league, it's difficult to envisage the Warriors re-signing both at $18-20 million in the next 12 months unless Curry takes a significant discount.
Melton could still have a long-term future with Golden State after signing three separate deals in the last three years, but a combination of Podziemski and Trent's recent contract still complicates things and will leave significant interest in his form next season.
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