The Phoenix Suns put pen to paper to officially sign De'Anthony Melton following the trade that brought him and Ryan Anderson to the desert, according to Cody Cunningham of Suns.com. The deal also shipped off Marquese Chriss and Brandon Knight to the Houston Rockets.
Melton was drafted with the 46th pick in the draft and although he's a second-round pick, he has some serious upside. His jumper is still a question mark as he enters the league, but he's a nice all-around player. Melton was a jack-of-all-trades with the USC Trojans. He averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game in college.
The 6-foot-4 combo guard projects as a capable perimeter defender despite having questions about his offensive game. That being said, Melton is still only 20-years-old and he could mature into an excellent player. Much of his maturation depends on the development of his offensive skill set.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, Melton is not an option as a starting point guard — at least yet — and they still don't have anyone who looks to be a shoo-in for the job. By trading away Knight, the Suns were ridding themselves of his contract, but they dealt away their one viable option at the position without having a contingency plan in place. Additionally, they took on Ryan Anderson's albatross of a contract in exchange for Knight.
Although he's not yet ready to start, Melton could have a bright future with the Suns. He's young and his upside should excite fans in Phoenix.
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