The Golden State Warriors have now gambled three separate times on a revival from De'Anthony Melton, and in 2026-27, it's finally paying dividends.
They did so in 2024-25, when Melton was coming off an injury-riddled year with the Philadelphia 76ers, and things looked great at first. He claimed the starting spot over Brandin Podziemski and training camp, and his point-of-attack defense and 3-point shooting made him look, early on, like a solid fit next to Stephen Curry in the Warriors' backcourt. But an ACL tear ended his season, and he was shipped off to the Brooklyn Nets in the deal that brought Dennis Schröder back to Golden State.
The Warriors then re-signed him last season on a minimum deal with a player option, and around mid-season, it seemed as though he had already far outperformed that contract number. With the limited financial flexibility Golden State had that offseason, it seemed as though his departure was guaranteed. But a pair of thumb injuries led to a late-season shooting slump, and the offseason led him right back to where he began—with the Warriors, this time on a two-year, $12.4 million contract with a player option.
It's essentially the same structure as his second deal with Golden State. But this time around, even in a bench role, Melton is finally playing with the consistency he needs to command a larger contract on the open market.
It remains unclear if the Warriors will want to be the ones to give him that pay raise when it comes due.
De'Anthony Melton is finally turning back into the player he's supposed to be
There's a reason the Warriors have been willing to take this many flyers on Melton. He's never going to be a volume scorer, but he provides the team with consistent rotational versatility when he's at his best. He's a strong defender, and that allows him to pair well with Curry in many situations, but he's also a consistent outside shooter, making him a strong bench contributor even now that Podziemski has emerged as the true starting option at shooting guard.
Across 11 games this season (nine of which Melton has started on the bench), the ninth-year guard is averaging 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while knocking down 42.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
While his shooting on the interior hasn't connected yet—he's shooting just 41% from the field on the season despite his high perimeter shooting percentage—that doesn't matter for the role he's taken on at this point in his career. Veteran 3-and-D players, including those with more carefully concentrated guard skill set, are still in high demand in this league.
Quentin Grimes, for example, signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. He's younger than Melton, but his numbers with the Philadelphia 76ers last season match up pretty closely with Melton's in terms of pure production—and his 3-point shooting, at 33.4%, was significantly worse. If Melton can put together an entirely healthy season in Golden State (and continue to hit his shots consistently from beyond the arc), there's no reason to believe he can't command a contract close to that this offseason.
But it's hard to say whether Golden State would be willing to extend that sort of offer—there's simply too much in flux right now.
The Warriors have stated they don't want to take on long-term money in any deal involving Kristaps Porzingis' contract, but that's likely just in a bid to maintain their flexibility ahead of this offseason for a major move. Both Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green's contracts are also expiring, and the Warriors are currently projected to have just over $100 million in cap commitments for next season, giving them ample room to operate before they even approach the first apron.
If the move is ultimately to bring in one additional star and fill out the rest of the roster with complementary veterans, perhaps Melton fits in there somewhere. But $15 million annually, even with the flexibility the Warriors have, is far from a guarantee.
Melton's revival, of course, is a boon to the Warriors in the short-term—he's been a major part of the viability of their bench unit so far this season. But if he keeps playing this way, it may finally lead to the pay raise that he's been seeking essentially since he joined the organization in 2024, and that could put him off the table for the Warriors this offseason, assuming he declines his player option.
Add us as a preferred source on Google