The Golden State Warriors had a real decision to make at backcourt this offseason, and they passed on the player with more offensive upside.
Golden State retained De’Anthony Melton on a two-year deal worth roughly $11 million, choosing him directly over free agent guard Anfernee Simons, who ended up signing for a nearly identical price with the Philadelphia 76ers. ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported the decision came down to fit alongside Stephen Curry rather than money, with both players landing similar contract values.
Why the Warriors Picked Melton Over Simons
GettyThe Philadelphia 76ers have signed Anfernee Simons.
Curry’s game tends to thrive next to a backcourt partner who defends well and moves the ball, someone who can free him up for off-ball scoring rather than needing possessions themselves. That profile matches Melton far more closely than it does Simons.
Melton showed flashes of exactly that role last season, appearing in 49 games for Golden State and averaging 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 29.4 percent from three. He remains a solid on-ball defender when right physically, a trait the Warriors clearly valued more than raw scoring upside.
Simons, by contrast, brings more offensive juice as a scorer. Splitting last season between the Celtics and Bulls, he averaged 14.3 points on 38.5 percent three-point shooting. But his defensive limitations were significant enough that Golden State ultimately passed, even with Simons carrying a cleaner recent health record than Melton.
Durability Remains the Real Question
GettyDe’Anthony Melton of the Golden State Warriors.
That last point cuts both ways. Melton has appeared in just 93 games total across the past three seasons between Philadelphia and Golden State, and last year’s version of him wasn’t consistently at full strength.
His numbers slipped noticeably as the season wore down. Over his final 13 games, Melton averaged only 10.4 points while shooting 38.9 percent from the field, a stretch that raised real doubts about whether he can hold up physically across a full 82-game slate.
Final Word for the Warriors
Golden State’s basketball reasoning behind choosing Melton over Simons makes sense on paper. The uncertainty isn’t about scheme fit, it’s about whether Melton’s body cooperates long enough for that fit to actually matter.
The Warriors passed on a higher-scoring guard in favor of a two-way player who fits better next to Curry. Now they need the healthier version of Melton to show up.
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