Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton is expected to join a new team this summer, sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Melton spent last season on a minimum-salary contract and holds a $3.45MM player option for next season. Anthony Slater of ESPN previously reported that Melton was expected to decline that option to test the open market, but that wouldn’t preclude a return to Golden State.
Melton, 28, played a larger offensive role than anticipated in 2025/26 due to injuries. The veteran combo guard averaged a career-high 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 23.0 minutes per game across 49 appearances, including 24 starts.
While Melton shot a career-best 50.5% on two-pointers last season and a solid 82.6% on free throws, he struggled from beyond the arc, converting just 29.4% of his three-point tries. He had made 38.3% of his threes in the five seasons leading up to ’25/26.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Both Golden State and Kristaps Porzingis are interested in coming to terms on a new contract, according to Siegel. Sources tell ClutchPoints the two sides have been “actively engaged” in contract discussions. Slater previously reported there was “growing momentum” between the Warriors and Porzingis on a short-term deal.
- The Warriors are believed to be seeking backcourt reinforcements, per Siegel, particularly a secondary play-maker at guard. On a related note, sources tell Siegel the Warriors had been targeting former Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the 11th overall pick and believed he might fall to that spot after Atlanta and Dallas chose other prospects at Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. However, as Siegel writes, Burries was selected by the Bucks at No. 10, which led the Warriors to draft Yaxel Lendeborg, another player the team was high on.
- Al Horford‘s new contract with Golden State is expected to feature a 15% trade kicker, sources tell ClutchPoints. Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN reported Thursday that Horford would be re-signing with the Warriors on a two-year, $14MM deal after declining his $6MM player option. ESPN’s duo also said the 40-year-old big man’s contract would contain a trade kicker, though the report didn’t specify the percentage.
- Former Bulls center/forward Lachlan Olbrich will play for the Warriors in summer league action, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link). Olbrich spent last season on a two-way contract with the Bulls, appearing in 37 games and averaging 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per contest. The 22-year-old Australian was selected 55th overall in last year’s draft. Chicago could have made him a two-way restricted free agent by issuing him a qualifying offer, but it sounds like that won’t happen.
