De'Anthony Melton has been one of the biggest positives for the Golden State Warriors since his return from injury, emerging as one of the team's best players and even more so in the wake of Jimmy Butler's season-ending torn ACL.
In fact, so good has Melton been that one Warriors insider has suggested the franchise should actually sell high on the veteran guard prior to next month's February 5 trade deadline.
Warriors insider floats potential De'Anthony Melton trade
Speaking on 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs on Tuesday, Nick Friedell of The Athletic believes that in the aftermath of Butler's injury, Golden State should be focused entirely on next season rather than being buyers before the deadline.
That, according to Friedell, would include cashing in on Melton who, if available, would surely generate immense interest from contenders as a high level rotation player making just $3.1 million this season.
"If I'm the Warriors, I'm not adding a player right now. I'm trading De'Anthony Melton...You want to put yourself in the best situation now to go after something next season." 👀
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 28, 2026
- @NickFriedell believes the Warriors should sell at the deadline (via @WillardAndDibs). pic.twitter.com/M3jppBvRM2
Given Melton's impact on the Warriors over the last month, the suggestion of trading the 27-year-old sounds insane. However, you can see the merit if Golden State decide there's simply no move out there than can bring them back into relevance this season.
Perhaps the Warriors could get a protected first-round pick from a contending team, even if they only view Melton as a short-term rental. Houston or Minnesota, for example, are the kind of teams lacking in guard depth who might have serious interest given Melton's contract.
But to make such a move, Golden State would need to not only concede that there's not a worthwhile deal out there for them to be buyers, but also concede that they've got no realistic way of re-signing Melton in free agency.
Melton has a $3.5 million player option for next season which, based on his current form, he'll assuredly turn down in the hope of something north of $15 million annually. The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is already something he could be looking for in free agency, having taken exactly that when signing with Golden State the first time in 2024.
The key question may become whether the Warriors trade Melton for value now, or if they make another move that gives them a more realistic path to re-signing him this offseason? The latter might involve keeping Jonathan Kuminga or trading the young forward for another expiring contract.
On the surface the idea of trading Melton feels outrageous, but either way the Warriors are going to need to think about his free agency as they dissect trade possibilities in the next eight days.