SAN FRANCISCO – Two of the Warriors’ three biggest offseason additions arrived at Chase Center on Monday, took the rostrum and introduced themselves as official latest members of the organization.
De'Anthony Melton, the defensive-minded guard, held up a No. 8 jersey – a number that might bring back memories of Monta Ellis. Kyle Anderson, who long admired the Warriors from afar (a minimum of when he wasn't playing against them), officially transferred to Golden State and can wear No. 1, as he did in Memphis.
Melton, 26, signed a one-year take care of the Warriors reportedly value $12.8 million that became official Monday, shortly after he took the rostrum. Anderson, a slender, extremely smart forward nicknamed “Slo-Mo,” joined the Warriors as a part of the six-team sign-and-trade deal that also involved Klay Thompson.
They make up two-thirds of the Warriors' significant signings this summer, which saw the club turn Thompson and Chris Paul into Anderson, Melton and sharpshooter Buddy Hield.
In a summer of dramatic change for Golden State, the trio of rotation-ready veterans are tasked with improving the team in its first season without the championship core of Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green since 2011.
“When I understand what they've been through over the last 13 years together, the four championships they've won, I can't replace that emotionally and mentally,” Melton said.
“All I can do is go out there and play my game, play hard and show why other fans love me too. And everything I bring to the table. I love winning, I love my ability to find ways to win, and I think that's what this organization values the most – finding ways to win no matter what.”
As a free agent, Melton was searching for a corporation with continuity and a powerful culture, he said, along with a medical staff he could trust. The guard missed most of last season as a consequence of a stress response that resulted in a fracture of his back. He said he has felt 100% for the past six weeks or so and he’s attempting to avoid further problems.
“I just understood that I was what they were looking for and that I brought everything that the organization may have been lacking in terms of defense, versatility and shooting over the last few years,” Melton said.
Both Melton and Anderson played against the Warriors within the 2022 playoffs after they were with the Grizzlies. Melton spent the intervening two years with the 76ers while Anderson played for the Timberwolves.
“The tradition has stayed here, the style of play,” said Anderson, 30. “It seems like Coach Kerr gives his guys a lot of freedom. There's a lot of high-IQ basketball here. I've always admired that from afar, of course, except when I played against them. They've always done everything right here. So it was a pretty easy decision for me.”
If Melton suits alongside Steph Curry a la Donte DiVincenzo as a hybrid on-ball and off-ball combo guard, Anderson's defensive versatility and passing ability should allow him to play as a frontcourt option in multiple lineups. He sees himself as a degree guard with a 6-foot-1 frame and has at all times been a high-assist, low-turnover player as a secondary playmaker.
Last postseason, Anderson was perhaps Minnesota's simplest defender against Mavericks star Luka Doncic. He will likely tackle similar defensive duties for the Warriors. Along with Green, Anderson should bolster Golden State's defense.
Anderson and Green have something else in common: a high-profile incident involving Rudy Gobert. At the top of the 2022-23 season, Anderson and teammate Gobert got right into a heated argument during a timeout that ended with Gobert punching his teammate within the chest.
Anderson said the incident was quickly resolved as he and Gobert worked things out. As a result, Minnesota's team chemistry grew stronger, he said, and he and Gobert remain close friends to this present day.
“We got home that night, he called me and we talked about it like grown men,” Anderson said. “We got it all worked out, 15 minutes after the call it was over. We get along, and we got along before that. It happens more often than people think or know, ours happened to be out there during a game. We both kind of embarrassed each other and it kind of got out of hand. But that happens all over the league, that's the way it is.”
In addition to Anderson and Melton, the Warriors have also signed Hield, who just accomplished Olympic qualification for the Bahamas. The Bahamian national team, coached by Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco, lost to Spain in Valencia and thus missed out on qualification.
While Melton and Anderson are each two-way players who excel on defense, Hield is more one-dimensional. As one in all the league's most eminent 3-point shooters, the Warriors hope Hield can provide the form of long-range shooting that Thompson used to supply.
Whether each of them can reach their full potential could determine how a lot better, if in any respect, the Warriors shall be.
“I hate thinking ahead about what we're going to do or what we need to do,” Anderson said. “It's really good to go into training camp with an open mind and a fresh start. Just ready to go to work, ready to learn, ready to get on the same page with everybody and go from there.”
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