How much could Sixers guard De’Anthony Melton make in free agency?
Philadelphia 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton will enter free agency in 2024 after a tough season on the floor. He was limited to only 38 games in 2023-24 due to a lingering back issue, but he did average 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.
When he’s healthy, Melton is one of the more versatile players in the league. He has the length and IQ to be one of the elite perimeter defenders in the NBA and he can also knock down open looks from deep. That makes him a top 3-and-D player and his free agency should be interesting.
Bleacher Report predicts that Melton will get somewhere around $60 million in the upcoming free agency:
A double-digit scorer in each of the least three seasons, the 25-year-old Melton brings a lot of the same plug-and-play qualities as Caldwell-Pope but won’t cost nearly as much. Considering he’s five years younger than KCP, you could make a case that a mere $60 million would be a bargain to lock down what should be Melton’s prime seasons.
It’s also convenient that a projected four-year deal at the mid-level exception, which starts at $12.4 million with annual raises, should come in right around the $54 million mark. Melton only needs to beat that by a few million bucks, which shouldn’t be hard to do.
The Sixers could bring him back on a smaller deal due to the lack of games he played and the back concerns. On the flip side, when Melton is healthy, he is one of the top two-way players in the league. His free agency should be something to watch heading into the summer.
