4 Young players for Philadelphia 76ers to develop, 3 to give up on

Give up on: De’Anthony Melton

De’Anthony Melton was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a draft-day deal last NBA offseason. As a 3-and-D wing, the thought was that Melton would come in and help cure some of the depth issues that the Sixers were working through.

In a vacuum, Melton is a good player. He was a valuable contributor off the bench and even as a spot starter for the Sixers during his first season with the team. While on one hand, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the team decided to keep him around, I’m not sure he’s a worthy investment for a team whose future is very much up in the air. He’s likely going to command a raise in free agency next summer and with some of the other younger options that the Sixers have on the roster already in the backcourt, perhaps they’d be open to moving on from Melton.

Melton is probably playing at his ceiling right now. He’s a good and productive role player. But you can argue that when a player has hit his ceiling, that’s the best time to begin finding a moment to move on. Especially for a team that is not on the verge of winning a title.

It’s something that the Sixers should at the very least discuss. If Philly does elect to move on from Melton, that shouldn’t be all that surprising.