It's hard to understate how pivotal this upcoming offseason will be for the Golden State Warriors. With Steve Kerr's contract coming to an end and Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler's contracts only extending through 2026-27, the urgency has never been greater to put together a championship-caliber team.
But stop me if you've heard this before. The Warriors will be dealing with financial limitations as they attempt to fill out their roster. If Draymond Green picks up his player option, they will have just $27 million in space between them and the first apron.
Al Horford also has a player option, and his departure could create some flexibility while also creating some problematic rotational questions. But no matter what happens, Golden State will need to do some cap acrobatics to bring back both Kristaps Porzingis and De'Anthony Melton.
It will be a tough tightrope to walk. But Melton has clearly shown he's back to full health. With the role he's come to play for the Warriors, letting him walk at this point is almost not an option. He's not just a dynamic scorer and defender, but he's also become a primary ball-handler in the absence of their stars.
The latter quality could be the key to his role with Golden State moving forward.
De'Anthony Melton would be the perfect piece to bridge the gap in 2026-27
Melton will likely earn a contract with an annual value in the range of $15 to 20 million this offseason. But there will be plenty of time for financial talk when the time comes. For now, let's focus on basketball.
Melton missed the first 22 games of the season rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered at the start of 2024-25. He also, understandably, got off to a slow offensive start upon his return. But since Curry went down in late January, he's been highly productive on the offensive end. Over his past 20 games, Melton is averaging 14 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on a diet of 25 minutes per game. His 3-point shot has suffered, but he's scoring at a high enough clip to promote confidence in his ongoing viability on offense.
He's also taken on a role as one of the team's primary ball-handlers, especially when the starters leave the floor and Melton remains on to guide the bench unit. To be frank, he's had his turnover issues. His assist-to-turnover ration since Feb. 1 sits at an uninspiring 1.26.
But part of this can be attributed to the overall formlessness of the Warriors' offensive structure without Curry and Butler. Melton has proved himself over the past couple of months to be a confident and capable playmaker.
With Butler out until at least the middle of next season, Golden State needs someone to take on that role in his absence. But even at this point in Butler's career (and especially returning from injury), he cannot be counted upon to take on the minutes and the responsibilities he did over the past two seasons when he returns.
The Warriors, therefore, need someone like Melton to re-establish their offensive structure next season. It provides yet another convincing reason to re-sign him, if you even needed one in the first place.