The Golden State Warriors swiftly responded to the news of Klay Thompson joining the Dallas Mavericks in NBA free agency by reaching an agreement with former Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Melton plans to sign a one-year contract worth $12.8 million with Golden State, a significant increase in annual salary compared to his previous deal with the 76ers, which was a four-year contract worth $34.6 million.
What do the Warriors gain from acquiring Melton? While he won’t fill Thompson’s role directly, Melton is expected to contribute defensively, provide scoring, and enhance bench shooting. Last season, he averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 36% from three-point range in 38 games.
The guard struggled with back injuries last season, which kept him out for much of the 2023-24 campaign. In the 2021-22 season, Melton played in 77 games for the Sixers, starting 58 of them.
Golden State reached an agreement with Melton following Thompson’s departure, which created the necessary salary cap space. NBA teams are prohibited from officially signing new players until July 6, so any reports before this date represent non-binding verbal agreements.
After Thompson made his decision, the Warriors swiftly used the full mid-level exception to sign De’Anthony Melton, according to sources familiar with the matter as reported by Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer in a July 1 article titled “NBA free agency 2024: The market impact of Klay Thompson’s move to Dallas.”
The agreement will be for one year at the $12.8 million salary slot that Golden State freed up after Thompson’s significant salary cap hold was removed from their books and the Warriors waived Paul.
Thompson will officially join the Mavericks through a sign-and-trade arrangement that also includes the Charlotte Hornets. As part of the deal, Golden State will receive a trade exception, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Apart from signing Melton, the Warriors have not found any other viable alternatives following Thompson’s departure from the team. Golden State was unsuccessful in finding a trade for Chris Paul before ultimately releasing the point guard at the beginning of free agency.
The Warriors were unable to reach an agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George before the star chose to opt out of his contract. Now, Golden State is focusing on acquiring Utah Jazz sharpshooter Lauri Markkanen.
According to sources, “The Warriors attempted to trade for Paul George with the Clippers,” Fischer added, “before the All-Star wing opted out of his contract to test free agency and eventually joined Philadelphia. Golden State is now among the teams most interested in acquiring Markkanen from Utah, according to league sources.
Golden State is probably expecting that Thompson’s departure will create chances for young Warriors players such as Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski. However, despite this focus on youth, the franchise is still actively pursuing potential blockbuster trades to acquire another key player, according to recent reports.
