One of the Los Angeles Lakers targets may return to his former team.
Lakers Receive Unfortunate News on Free Agency Target originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had some good news and bad news this offseason. Most notably, they signed Deandre Ayton as their starting center for eight million next season, but also lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets.
With Finney-Smith no longer on the team, the Lakers must turn to potential replacements. One option is De'Anthony Melton, who has been linked to Los Angeles. The rumblings were so strong that Jake Fischer reported last Thursday that "we're just still expecting he will eventually sign with the Lakers."
Melton only appeared in six games for the Golden State Warriors last season before tearing his ACL, but he averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.1% from three. After suffering his season-ending injury, they traded him for Dennis Schroder.
Melton would make sense as a Finney-Smith replacement, but as it turns out, he may not be a Laker after all next season. Marc Stein reported that the Warriors appear to be the Melton free agency sweepstakes leaders.
"The Warriors have emerged as a strong contender to bring back De'Anthony Melton in free agency, league sources tell (Stein), in addition to Golden State's well-chronicled interest in signing Al Horford," Stein wrote.
The Warriors have emerged as a strong contender to bring back De'Anthony Melton in free agency, league sources tell @TheSteinLine, in addition to Golden State's well-chronicled interest in signing Al Horford.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 8, 2025
More NBA from @JakeLFischer and me: https://t.co/C3JzgMioXLpic.twitter.com/YFZLRkyE7R
The Warriors technically have not signed anyone yet this offseason, but have lost Kevon Looney, as he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. Adding Melton and Horford to a team that was up 1-0 in the Western Conference Semifinals before Stephen Curry's hamstring injury would make it a successful offseason for them.
If Melton is off the table for Los Angeles, they could turn to Gary Payton II and Amir Coffey as potential Finney-Smith replacements.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
