Golden State brought back a steady, versatile guard on a team-friendly deal while everyone was watching the LeBron James chase.
De'Anthony Melton turned down $3.45 million and bet on himself this summer, and the Golden State Warriors paid him back for it.
The two sides agreed on a two-year, $11 million contract with a player option in the second season, bringing Melton back to the Bay Area for a third straight offseason.
It is not a move that will trend for long.
Golden State has spent its first few days of free agency chasing bigger names and making bigger decisions, and Melton's deal barely got a mention before the next headline pushed it aside.
Buried Under Bigger News
Golden State used part of its offseason budget to bring back Kristaps Porzingis on a two-year deal worth $40 million, a move that changed its cap situation and pushed the front office toward creative math to keep chasing LeBron James.
Retaining Melton for a fraction of that price, right after his best season yet, could end up being the smarter move of the two.
The team used its bi-annual exception on the deal instead of dipping into the full mid-level exception, keeping that larger pot of money open in case James says yes.
The Fit Next to Curry
Melton's year with the Warriors was easily his best as a pro.
He averaged a career-high 12.3 points to go with 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 23 minutes a night, numbers that stand out even more given he tore his ACL the year before and had to work his way back into game shape.
His three-point shot dipped below 30 percent, but his defense and his feel for the game kept him on the floor, especially alongside a Curry backcourt that still put up 26.6 points and 4.7 assists a game in a season slowed by injury.
Melton made his case for a bigger contract back in March, when he was asked about his pending free agency.
"I've been in this league a decent amount of time," he said. "Eight years is a lot of time. I've put in a lot of time and effort and work into this. I think that should be rewarded."
The Warriors agreed, even if the final number landed short of the fifteen to twenty million a year some had predicted for him.
A Roster Still Taking Shape
Golden State finished 37-45 and lost in the play-in tournament to Phoenix, and Melton's steadiness will matter even more with the roster banged up.
Jimmy Butler is still working back from a torn ACL and Moses Moody is out after tearing a patellar tendon, so the backcourt and wing rotation both take a hit heading into next season.
Draymond Green turned down his own player option this week to help clear a path toward LeBron James, and the Warriors used their first-round pick on Michigan wing Yaxel Lendeborg to add some youth to the roster.
Where the James pursuit lands will decide the rest of the moves, but Melton is already back, healthy, and ready to start next to Curry again.
