SAN FRANCISCO — De’Anthony Melton will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season with a sprained left ACL.
Melton, 26, is scheduled to get surgery on Dec. 3, he said.While he has missed the past two games, he and the team were diligent about seeking multiple opinions for his injury. The best course of action, they concluded, was season-ending surgery.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” Melton said at his locker. “Especially because it’s so early in the season. It’s something I’ve got to handle and something I’ve got to get through to be better.”
Melton has been productive when available this season and earned a starting role next to Steph Curry in the back court. A two-way, multidimensional guard, Melton has averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
The starting lineup with Melton in it was by far the most productive starting-five the Warriors have tried out this year, outscoring opponents by 22.4 points per 100 possessions.
“I feel so bad for De’Anthony,” Steve Kerr said. “He’s such a perfect fit for us and we were so excited to have him. He was clearly going to be our starter next to Steph.”
Golden State signed Melton to a one-year, $12.8 million deal this past offseason, which means he’ll be a free agent after the season ends. He missed more than half of last year due to serious back injuries, but had worked in the summer to fortify his core in an effort to prevent further issues.
There’s a long track record of NBA players recovering to full strength after ACL surgeries. Kerr and Melton have talked about the recovery and his upcoming free agency.
“He should be able to come back and resume his career really well,” Kerr said.
Before his knee injury though, Melton missed five straight games with a back strain. He described it as mild — and significantly less painful than what he endured last year — but the team treated him with caution.
Three games after returning — and after earning the starting shooting guard role — he sprained his knee against the Mavericks. He tweaked it late in the second quarter and after limping for a bit, Melton finished the game out. But once the adrenaline wore off, Melton felt his knee stiffen up.
Given Melton’s status as a pending free agent, it’s possible his tenure as a Warrior consists of just six games.
Without Melton, the Warriors are starting Lindy Waters III for a third straight game. Kerr likes the look with Waters next to Curry because of his 3-point shot, passing feel and on-ball defense.
“You want to stack up as many two-way guys as you can in this league,” Kerr said. “They’re not easy to find. Fortunately, we do have a deep team, and guys will be ready to step up. We’ve just got to keep looking at different combinations and put the best ones out on the floor.”
The Warriors could apply for a disabled player exception, but since they’re less than $1 million below their first-apron hard-cap, a path to using the spending flexibility isn’t yet paved.
Melton plans to get his surgery in Los Angeles and then rehab alongside the team in the Bay Area. Asked if there could be an outside chance he returns if the Warriors make a deep playoff run, Melton said he didn’t know.
“Y’all can ask me around then,” Melton said. “Hopefully. I would love to. Deep run, you never know.”
Originally Published: