As they all say, hindsight is 20-20, so here is a think piece the Philadelphia 76ers would probably want to revisit — not even expressing interest in reuniting with De’Anthony Melton, a former cage of theirs, last summer to shore up their depth in the backcourt. Now, they are almost completely sapped of capable guards off the bench while Melton is quietly thriving with his current ball club.
Last season, Melton tore his ACL just a handful of games into the season, cutting short his individual campaign with the Warriors. Golden State, however, took a gamble and recruited him back for this season, and their gambit is starting to finally pay off. Since returning from injury, he has emerged as one of their most vital players on their second unit.
Meanwhile, the 76ers are looking for answers off the bench. After trading Jared McCain, the team has an open spot in the backcourt which they have yet to fill in. So far, they have tried some unconventional ways to get by, but that could prove costly if they end up not going after a real solution to that problem.
The 76ers should regret not signing De’Anthony Melton for cheap in free agency
Given his injury at that juncture, Melton was easily available for cheap in free agency. Howver, he did not command a lot of interest in the market. The 76ers, for example, could have gotten him back to bolster their bench. Instead, they belabored themselves with re-signing Kyle Lowry (a 39-year-old who is a de facto assistant coach at this point) and Eric Gordon (a one-trick pony who has since been traded).
Of course, an ACL tear definitely merits a reluctant stance, but the 76ers are all too familiar with what Melton can bring to the table, having rostered him as recently as 2024.
Melton has shaken off his ugly start, and Steve Kerr and his staff have reveled in the two-way contribution the veteran has provided the Warriors bench, which has become all the more crucial due to Steph Curry missing games here and there and JImmy Butler missing the rest of the season.
On the flip side, the 76ers are struggling to have consistent production in the backcourt outside of their starters in Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Quentin Grimes has been shaky for most of the year, which further complicates things.
As such, while this may be an opinion rendered viable only in hindsight, one can only wonder about the missed bargain that is reuniting with De’Anthony Melton during the last offseason.