Warriors Have Ideal Free-Agent Target If They Lose De'Anthony Melton

Golden State will need an on-ball defensive menace if it loses Melton

De'Anthony Melton and Jordan Goodwin | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors have a busy offseason coming up, and one player they'll have trouble keeping is De'Anthony Melton.

Melton has a player option for $3.5 million he's expected to decline. At the least, he should get offers for the taxpayer mid-level exception of $6 million, which might be the maximum the Warriors can offer him (depending on other moves they make this offseason).

Even if no one offers more than $6 million, Melton might value going somewhere else over staying with a Warriors team that won just 37 games this past season.

Fortunately for the Warriors, they can go after an ideal free-agent replacement in Suns guard Jordan Goodwin.

Goodwin Is a True Three-and-D Player

Melton is often labeled a two-way guard, but you'd have to bend the definition of that after he shot just 29.4 percent from three this past season. He does have some ball-handling and playmaking ability to be a secondary creator, but he doesn't excel enough at those things to be considered a quality offensive player when his shot isn't falling.

Meanwhile, Goodwin fits the three-and-D archetype much better.

He shot 37.1 percent from three this past season after shooting 38.2 percent in 2024-25. Though he probably has less playmaking chops than Melton, he does a nice job making the right reads when the defense is in rotation.

With Goodwin, you're hoping for average offense because as long as you get that, his defense and rebounding (7.8 per 36 minutes) will make him a major asset.

Goodwin had a plus-1.7 defensive EPM this past season, which ranked in the 93rd percentile (for comparison's sake, Melton had a plus-0.9 defensive EPM). He helped contain Stephen Curry (17 points, 4-of-16 shooting, 4 turnovers) in the play-in game.

Goodwin suffered a calf strain early in Game 1 against the Thunder and missed the rest of the series. The Suns might have gotten swept anyway, but without Goodwin they had major defensive issues.

The Warriors could deploy Goodwin (6'3", 215 lbs) on all of the Western Conference's best guards, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic and Jamal Murray.

Goodwin's Market Could Be Similar to Melton's

If the Warriors can get Goodwin for the veteran minimum, they'll be ecstatic. What's more likely is that the Warriors have to offer at least $6 million (using the MLE) to get him.

Melton and Goodwin are both 27, so it's not clear who will garner more interest. Melton has a longer track record of rotation-level play, and consequently he's made more money in his NBA career.

But Goodwin is coming off a better season.

The Suns won't want to lose him, and if the Warriors don't have access to the NTMLE of $15 million, they could get outbid by Phoenix.

But if for whatever reason the Suns and Goodwin don't agree to a deal, the Warriors will have a great chance to get him.