The Golden State Warriors have moved to solidify their roster less than 24 hours out from media day, reaching agreements with three veteran free agents and 56th overall pick Will Richard despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Jonathan Kuminga's free agency.
One of those veteran signings comes in the form of De'Anthony Melton, with ESPN's Shams Charania finally reporting on what's been a long-expected and widely-anticipated move since early July when free agency got underway.
De'Anthony Melton might be the most underrated signing of the entire offseason
Melton returns to a familiar environment, having signed a one-year, $12.8 million deal with the Warriors last offseason. Yet after just six games and two as a starter, the 27-year-old was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL suffered in the final period of Golden State's win over the Dallas Mavericks in November.
With no on-court use from that salary spot, the Warriors traded Melton to the Brooklyn Nets for Dennis Schroder in December. That ultimately didn't work out for the franchise either, at least not until they were able to trade Schroder as part of their blockbuster acquisition of Jimmy Butler in February.
Despite trading him away nine months ago, the Warriors and Melton have clearly retained a strong enough relationship to reunite this offseason in the hope their fortunes together can be different this time around.
Free agents Gary Payton II and De'Anthony Melton have committed to signing deals to return to the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN. Payton, Melton and Al Horford are now locked in for the Warriors' 2025-26 roster. pic.twitter.com/h0xtsmstGe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2025
While the specifics of the contract are not yet finalized given the ongoing nature of the Kuminga saga, it's widely presumed that Melton will be on a veteran minimum contract as he looks to rehabilitate his value after just 44 games in the last two years.
This represents what could prove the most underrated signing of the entire offseason, particularly given John Hollinger of The Athletic had a $26.5 million valuation on Melton just over 12 months ago. His two-way ability could be key in Golden State not only maintaining their elite defense from after the All-Star break, but also rise from ranking just 16th in 3-point percentage last season.
There will now be a major watch on Melton's health and physical condition during training camp and preseason, with a strong likelihood that he could force Steve Kerr into a tough decision between him and Brandin Podziemski for the starting shooting guard role.
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area recently stated his belief that Melton will be the starter if healthy, making the possibility of this being the most underrated and best value signing of the entire offseason all the more real.