Kings Free Agent Targets: DeAnthony Melton
May 8, 2024, 5:47 PM | Updated: 5:54 pm
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
As the NBA offseason approaches, the Sacramento Kings are at somewhat of a crossroads heading into free agency and trade season.
What can Kings general manager Monte McNair do to push this team to the next level?
This week on Stiles & Watkins with hosts Allen Stiles and Chris Watkins, the guys broke down players that could be on Sacramento’s offseason free agent wishlist.
Today, let’s dive into the next player on Chris’ free agent targets:
DeAnthony Melton | Formerly Philadelphia 76ers | PG/SG | Age: 25 | 2022-24 Salary: $8 million
The Sacramento Kings have options this offseason for improving their roster. General manager Monte McNair often refers to the three avenues to do so: the draft, trades, and free agency. For now, we’ll be focused on the latter portion. Working with the full non-taxpayers Mid-Level Exception (projected at 4yrs/$55.3 million) and Bi-Annual Exception (projected at 2yrs/$9.6 million) — leaving some notable optionality.
Their list of pending free agents from last season includes Malik Monk, Kessler Edwards, JaVale McGee, Alex Len, Jordan Ford, and Jalen Slawson. With the unpredictability behind Monk, the Kings must look at a wide variety of potential talents in free agency. Even though guards do not seem like a position of need right now, things could change quickly based on what the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up elects to do.
Specifically, a versatile guard who can function both on and off the ball offensively and provides some disruptive defense with good length could be valuable. 6’2 free agent DeAnthony Melton fits that description perfectly.
Last season, Melton averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals on 38.6 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three on 5.6 attempts per game, and 83.5 percent from the free throw line in 38 games played with the Philadelphia 76ers.
A spine issue limited his availability in 2023-24, but DeAnthony Melton played in 70+ games in the two seasons prior. Defensive disruptiveness has been the name of his game since he came into the league as the 46th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
From Sacramento’s perspective, it likely would not take the full MLE to acquire Melton, and his versatility could bolster their depth moving forward. Is DeAnthony Melton someone they should utilize that asset on, or is the opportunity cost of other options worth questioning? As we continue this series on Sactown Sports, more current free agent names will be discussed for the Kings.
When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?
For the first time in two years, the Sacramento Kings will be crossing its fingers for luck during the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.
The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery will be held on Sunday, May 12, 2024, in Chicago, where Sacramento will have the 13th-best odds of securing the top pick.
How the Lottery works: The 14 teams that missed out on the NBA playoffs are eligible for the Draft Lottery. The final odds were determined after the regular season, and tie breaks were settled between teams with identical regular season records.
NBA Offseason Schedule
- Sunday, May 12 – NBA Draft Lottery
- Wednesday, June 26-Thursday, June 27th – 2024 NBA Draft
- Sunday, June 30th – Free Agent negotiating window opens (3 PM PST)
- Saturday, July 6th – Free Agents can officially sign contracts
- July 12-22nd – Las Vegas Summer League
- July 27-August 11th – 2024 Olympic Games
- Friday, September 27th – NBA training camps begin
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