When the Philadelphia 76ers decided not to pursue another deal with De'Anthony Melton in the summer of 2024, not a lot of people really paid much attention to it. After all, the combo guard was coming off an injury-riddled campaign where he missed more than half of the season. As such, him getting jettisoned as a part of a drastic roster turnover had some credence to it.
Be that as it may, that decision is looking like one made in utmost haste. The 76ers, despite their glut of guards entering the season (and the previous one), have had problems when it comes to their depth in the backcourt, and having someone who has the exact same basketball DNA as Melton was ended up being a major omission.
This season proved especially difficult for Philly in that regard. The started the year off with four-headed monster in the backcourt, but after trading Jared McCain away and with Quentin Grimes turning in a down season, the coahcing staff was forced to resort to extemporaneous options just to counter their lack of functional depth at the guard positions.
The 76ers ended up sorely missing De'Anthony Melton
Melton missed all but six games last season when he left the 76ers for the Warriors due to a torn ACL early in the campaign, but he came back much stronger in 2025-26. The 28-year-old combo guard quickly became a trusted hand for Steve Kerr's squad, averaging 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals a night in just 23 minutes per outing.
Golden State especially liked the way he played bigger than his stature on the defensive end. Perimeter defense has always been Melton's best trait, and with the Warriors constantly playing small, deploying him a lot only made much sense.
If anything, the 76ers already know fully well what Melton is capable of. In two seasons in Philadelphia, he registered 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in just under 28 minutes a night. He also drained nearly 38 percent of his three-pointers, which made him a bona fide three-and-D operator for the team.
Now, the 76ers are craving for someone like Melton to rev up their perimeter D and three-point shooting. Those are the things they will be looking for in the open market, which certainly evokes some regretful sentiments given that they already had him in house not too long ago. No one expected his departure to end up being a mistake, but lo and behold, that is exactly what transpired in the end.
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