The Golden State Warriors were surprisingly able to come to terms on a new deal with De'Anthony Melton earlier in free ageny, giving the veteran guard a two-year, $11.2 million contract after he'd previously opted out of his player option for next season.
Melton's contract instantly looked like a solid one despite an underwhelming finish to last season, and it suddenly looks even better after the Milwaukee Bucks overpaid to retain Gary Trent Jr. in a free agency move on Saturday.
De'Anthony Melton signing looks even better after Gary Trent Jr. deal
Despite coming off his worst season since his rookie year last decade, and despite playing the last two years on a minimum contract, Trent has been able to generate a four-year, $64 million contract in a move that's quickly raised suspicion among fans and analysts on social media.
It certainly makes the Melton contract appear like a bargain one, with the argument to be made that the Warrior guard is just as, if not more valuable than Trent given his more versatile skillset in contrast to being simply a 3-point specialist.
Melton easily averaged more points, rebounds, assists and steals than Trent last season, while he even shot a higher field goal percentage despite being at only 40.7% himself which included less than 30% from 3-point range.
The 28-year-old Melton is less than a year older than Trent, and there's arguably more upside with the 6'2" guard considering he'll be further removed from the torn ACL that he only returned from in December.
Warriors ' generally execute team-friendly contracts
Fans can criticize the Golden State front office for a number of things, including their unwillingness to sacrifice future draft assets for major win-now moves, but one thing they generally avoid is giving out exorbitant contracts to role players like we've just seen with Trent.
There may be some disappointment in the fact the Warriors appear to be running it back next season, but their recent moves to re-sign the likes of Melton, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are within themselves good contracts that either reflect or are below their on-court value.
Throw in February's extension for Gui Santos and the value of Moses Moody's deal prior to his devastating injury, and there's clear proof that Golden State negotiate well when it comes to their role players.
The Warriors could still get the bargain of free agency if they can sign LeBron James, regardless of whether it's at the veteran's minimum or at the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Add us as a preferred source on Google