Despite playing just 44 games over the last two seasons, former Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton is expected to be an intriguing name to monitor once free agency gets underway.
Melton's six games with the Warriors this season were about as memorable as they could possibly be, making for a potential reunion this summer depending on the relationship between player and franchise after the veteran guard was traded in December.
“Honestly, I think Melton's a veteran minimum target," Anthony Slater of The Athletic recently stated on the Warriors Plus-Minus podcast. However, while Melton is coming off a long-term ACL injury, there's bound to be no shortage of potential suitors looking for a valuable two-way guard who can impact on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers could show interest in De'Anthony Melton during free agency
The Los Angeles Lakers are the latest to have been linked to Melton ahead of free agency, with Jovan Buha of The Athletic mentioning the 26-year-old on a recent episode of Buha's Block.
"I really like Melton as a flyer," Buha said. "I think, at this point, he's gonna be a vet-minimum guy...I think he's a guy who, for a vet minimum contract, you could do a lot worse."
Melton is a Los Angeles native so the Lakers have that working in their favor, but from purely an on-court basketball standpoint, he'd be making a mistake by joining LeBron James, Luka Doncic and company.
Melton has already had to take a one-year, prove it deal with the Warriors on a mid-level exception contract, and will likely have to do so again on a minimum this offseason. Yet beyond that he's still young and should be looking to increase his value as much as possible for multi-year significant contracts further down the line.
The seven-year veteran could be an excellent addition for the Lakers as a 3-and-D guard, but with Doncic, James and Reaves, he's not going to have the opportunity to be a ball-handler and facilitator.
That's what ultimately was going to make Melton such a good fit with Golden State and particularly alongside Stephen Curry in the back court. Not only was he adept at playing off the ball as a catch-and-shoot threat, but he could be a secondary ball-handler and playmaker when needed.
It's also unlikely he ever earns a starting role with the Lakers, with Melton to be the third guard behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves unless they trade the latter this offseason. After a season-ending injury it's unlikely the 6'2" guard earns a starting spot anywhere, but he should at least want to go a team where there is a window of opportunity to play himself into a big role.
His chances of usurping Brandin Podziemski to take a starting spot may not be great either, but they're surely higher than taking Reaves' role at the Lakers. Whether Melton reunites with the Warriors or heads elsewhere, going to the Lakers would be a mistake for his individual trajectory and trying to recoup his value lost through injury.
