De'Anthony Melton has had a very interesting career with the Golden State Warriors. When he was first signed in the 2025 NBA season, Melton was expected to have a big role but ultimately suffered a torn ACL that only allowed him to play six games.

The Warriors would let go of Melton later that season and bring him back last season, where he played in 49 games with the team after returning from injury.

When Melton declined his $3.45 million player option, there were legitimate questions about whether or not he'd return to the Golden State Warriors.

Those questions are over now.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, De'Anthony Melton has agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal ot return to the Warriors. He will also have a player option as part of the deal.

In 49 games last season, Melton averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals on 41/29/83 shooting from the field. While Melton struggled from the field, he actually had a career high in points per game and matched his career high in steals per game last season.

Simply put, Melton is the perfect fit for the Warriors. He can score the ball off the bench, but he can, more importantly, play defense for the Warriors. It's unknown exactly how the Warriors will look next season, but Melton is too solid offensively and defensively not to fit in with whatever the team's rotation looks like.

If the Golden State Warriors are legitimately serious about adding LeBron James to the roster next season, then they'll definitely need to beef up their defense as well. The team will be employing a 38-year-old Steph Curry, a 41-year-old LeBron James, and a 40-year-old Al Horford.

Golden State will need as many capable defenders as possible to surround players like LeBron James or Steph Curry with help. Without players like Melton, the Warriors may legitimately be doomed defensively. It can't be overstated how important 3-and-D players like Melton will be for an older Warriors team.

One thing that Melton will definitely need to improve on next season is his capability as a three-point shooter. Last season with the Warriors was his second-worst three-point shooting season ever, and that just can't happen again.

For Melton to be fully maximized, he needs to up his three-point percentage from 29.4% to at least around 34%.