Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton will miss the start of the 2025-26 regular season as he continues to rehab from an ACL tear he suffered last November. The team said on Wednesday afternoon that Melton will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Melton, 27, recently put pen to paper on a new two-year, $6.5 million contract that contains a player option for Year 2, league sources told ClutchPoints on Sunday. Coming off his injury, this new contract with Golden State allows Melton to retain his role as a key contributor at the shooting guard position and potentially opt out next offseason to pursue a larger contract with the team.
After tearing his ACL after playing just six games with the Warriors last season, Melton's $12.8 million salary was utilized by the team in a trade made in December to acquire veteran guard Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets. Schroder was later included in the Warriors' multi-team trade to acquire Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline in February.
The organization and Melton had a mutual understanding with one another that he would be traded as a result of his injury, and both sides hoped to come to terms on a new deal this summer. Melton and the Warriors got their wish with his minimum-like, team-friendly contract.
As far as when exactly the veteran combo guard will be cleared to resume full basketball activities, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. claimed on Wednesday that it would be “sooner than later.”
“We don't expect him to be ready for the regular season, but it's not going to be a lengthy absence,” Dunleavy told reporters in his training camp press conference. “He's working at it. He'll do his thing and get back. After seeing what he could do for us last season, making sure that he's healthy and ready to go for the latter half of the season as opposed to right out of the gates is the most important thing.”
Melton also spoke to reporters on Wednesday and made it clear that he held no hard feelings over the team trading him last season. He praised the Warriors' medical staff and is excited to return for the 2025-26 season.
The Warriors will provide further updates on Melton's status and recovery from his ACL injury later in the month.
