The Golden State Warriors are set for a major gamble entering the 2025-26 NBA season, with veteran superstar Stephen Curry likely to be the only point guard on the entire 15-man main roster.
According to the latest free agency reports from Marc Stein, the Warriors are set to fill their remaining six roster spots with Jonathan Kuminga, Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry and Will Richard.
While that leaves an abundance of shooting guards available for Steve Kerr, it does make for a potentially unhealthy reliance on a 37-year-old Curry. Perhaps it also goes to show the faith Golden State have in Brandin Podziemski and De'Anthony Melton, the latter of which has played just 44 games in the last two years and is coming off a torn ACL injury.
De'Anthony Melton may get on-ball opportunity for the Warriors
Melton might be seen by many as a prototypical three-and-D player, but he also has secondary ball-handling and playmaking skills that could shine further within Kerr's free-flowing offense. Assuming Podziemski starts at shooting guard to open the season, Melton could become Golden State's de-facto backup point guard behind Curry.
The second unit is sure to be run through Jimmy Butler and might also feature Jonathan Kuminga as a prominent offensive option, yet Melton could still be given far more on-ball opportunity than he's seen at other recent stops in his career.
That's going to grant the 27-year-old an even greater chance to rehabilitate his value and market himself to the Warriors and other prospective teams ahead of free agency next year. Melton signed a one-year, $12.8 million deal with Golden State last offseason in the hopes of then securing a long-term contract, only for those to be dashed when his season was cut short after just six games.
Now expected to sign a minimum contract to return to the Warriors, Melton will be once again be out to prove that he's worth $15+ million annually on a multi-year deal. Even though those players pigeon-holed as three-and-D types are incredibly valuable, Melton will be better served if he has the opportunity to truly showcase his versatile skillset.
There may also be the opportunity for Melton to win the starting two-guard spot off Podziemski at some stage, having done so twice early last season where he thoroughly impressed in back-to-back wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder (on the road) and the Dallas Mavericks before injury struck.