Sunday, December 22, 2024

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton out for rest of season with ACL injury

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De’Anthony Melton’s season is over.

The Golden State Warriors announced on Wednesday night that Melton will undergo season-ending ACL surgery.

Melton went down in the Warriors’ 120-117 win over the Dallas Mavericks last week, though it’s unclear when he was hurt exactly in that game. Melton, who was recently moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup, was then ruled out indefinitely with an ACL sprain in his left knee.

Further testing in recent days, however, determined that it would be in his “best interest to proceed” with surgery rather than try to return to the court this season. Melton will now do that in the coming dyas.

Melton joined the Warriors this past offseason on a one-year, $12.8 million deal after spending the past two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in six games with Golden State. He put up 16.5 points and seven rebounds per contest once entering the starting lineup. The 26-year-old missed five games with a lower back strain, too.

Though Melton should be ready to go for the start of the 2025-26 campaign, it’s unclear where he’ll end up. Melton will be a free agent this upcoming summer. While he looked solid for the Warriors early this season, the team may not be willing to sign him to another deal — especially with him coming off of an ACL injury. Melton was first selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, and he spent time with both the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies before landing in Philadelphia.

The Warriors entered Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with a 10-3 record, which has them in a slight lead in the Western Conference standings. They are undefeated after two games and are leading their group in the NBA Cup, too. The Warriors will take on the New Orleans Pelicans next on Friday in their third in-season tournament game.

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