DE'ANTHONY MELTON NEWS

Slides to bench Melton won't start Wednesday's preseason game against the Kings, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.

Impact Melton started but played only 12 minutes during the Warriors' preseason opener, and he'll give way to Brandin Podziemski at two-guard on Wednesday. The pair appear to be competing for the starting shooting guard position, though both figure to hold significant roles, regardless of who starts.

OCTOBER 10 • ROTOWIRE

Plays 12 minutes in opener Melton posted eight points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 12 minutes during Saturday's 91-90 preseason win over the Clippers.

Impact Melton got the first crack at replacing Klay Thompson, who joined the Mavericks this offseason. Brandin Podziemski finished with four points (1-9 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 19 minutes off the bench. Buddy Hield ended with five points (2-7 FG, 1-5 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist in 17 reserve minutes. The three guards figure to compete for Thompson's vacant minutes all season.

OCTOBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Gets starting nod Melton is in the starting lineup for Saturday's preseason opener against the Clippers, Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com reports.

Impact Melton signed with Golden State this offseason after spending the last two years with Philadelphia. While Melton was expected to compete for a bench role, he will be given the opportunity to start in the team's preseason opener.

OCTOBER 5 • ROTOWIRE

The Warriors hope their 'disciplined' offseason pays dividends this year

After missing the playoffs for just the second time in more than a decade with a healthy Stephen Curry, a Golden State Warriors team never shy about making splashy additions might...

SEPTEMBER 26 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Agrees to deal with Golden State Melton and the Warriors agreed to a one-year, $12.8 million deal Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Impact The Warriors quickly pivoted to Melton after Klay Thompson agreed to a three-year contract with the Mavericks, although that deal hasn't been finalized yet. Melton struggled with a lingering back issue last season, but when healthy, he's an elite defender and a capable three-point shooter. In 38 games with the 76ers last season, Melton averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.0 three-pointers.

JULY 1 • ROTOWIRE

Gets light role in return Melton (back) tallied zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound and one assist in seven minutes Sunday in the 76ers' 97-92 loss to the Knicks in Game 4 of the first-round playoff...

Impact After missing the first two games of the playoffs due to back injury recovery and then not leaving the bench in Game 3 in a coach's decision, Melton made his series debut Sunday. Melton didn't make much of an impact during his limited time on the floor, and he's uncertain to be included in the rotation in Game 5 on Tuesday, when the 76ers will look to stave off elimination.

APRIL 29 • ROTOWIRE

Available to play Thursday Melton (back) is available for Thursday's game against the Knicks, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Impact Melton was tabbed a game-time decision for this contest, but in the end, he'll be available to see minutes off the bench. He didn't see action in any of the first two games of the series and has played just two games since the beginning of March, so he's not expected to have a heavy workload across the board.

APRIL 25 • ROTOWIRE

Considered game-time decision Melton (back) is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 3 against the Knicks, Steve Popper of Newsday reports.

Impact Melton practiced Wednesday and is questionable for Thursday's matchup, but the 76ers will wait to see how he fares during pregame warmups before determining his availability. Even with the 76ers down 0-2 in the first-round series, it wouldn't be surprising to see Melton's playing time monitored if he's cleared to suit up Thursday.

APRIL 25 • ROTOWIRE

76ers, Magic, Lakers head home for Game 3 trailing 2-0 in NBA playoff series

The Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers all trail 2-0 in their first-round playoff series

APRIL 24 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Questionable for Thursday Melton (back) is questionable for Thursday's Game 3 matchup with New York.

Impact Melton has not yet made an appearance this postseason, but he was able to practice Wednesday, so he does appear to be close. However, he'll likely have his minutes closely monitored once he is eventually cleared to return.

APRIL 24 • ROTOWIRE

Practices Wednesday Coach Nick Nurse said Melton (back) practiced Wednesday and is on track to suit up for Thursday's Game 3 against the Knicks, but the shooting guard will likely still be listed as q...

Impact Melton has appeared in only five games since Jan. 12 and last suited up April 12, so even if he gets the green light, he'll presumably be eased into action. The sixth-year wing made only 38 regular-season appearances and averaged 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 26.9 minutes per game.

APRIL 24 • ROTOWIRE

Ruled out for Game 2 Melton (back) has been ruled out for Monday's Game 2 against the Knicks.

Impact Melton hasn't been ruled out for the entire opening-round series yet, so his next chance to suit up will come Thursday when the series shifts to Philadelphia. He's appeared in only five games since Jan. 12, so even if he's cleared soon, Melton figures to have a limited role in his return.

APRIL 21 • ROTOWIRE

Ruled out for Game 1 Melton (back) has been ruled out for Saturday's Game 1 against the Knicks, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Impact Melton was unable to participate in Friday's practice session and will miss the start of the 76ers' first-round series. However, coach Nick Nurse said Friday that the team isn't ready to rule Melton out for the entirety of the series, so he should be considered day-to-day for now. The 25-year-old has appeared in just five games since Jan. 12, so even if he's cleared to return at some point during the playoffs, it wouldn't be surprising to see him face a minutes restriction.

APRIL 19 • ROTOWIRE

Won't play Wednesday Melton (back/injury recovery) will be unavailable for Wednesday's Play-In Tournament matchup against Miami.

Impact Melton has logged just five appearances since Jan. 12, being unable to return to 100 percent after initially dealing with a lumbar stress reaction in his spine. Subsequent attempts to return to action have been short-lived, and his absence from Philadelphia's rotation is a notable loss defensively. Win or lose Wednesday, Philadelphia will have another postseason contest in store, but Melton's outlook is currently bleak.

APRIL 16 • ROTOWIRE

Misses another practice Tuesday Melton (back) missed the duration of Tuesday's practice, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Impact Melton also missed Monday's practice, putting his status for Wednesday's game versus Miami in real jeopardy. There should be more clarity on Melton's status when the 76ers release their injury report Tuesday evening.

APRIL 16 • ROTOWIRE

Sits out practice Melton (back) did not practice Monday, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Impact Melton returned from a 21-game absence back on April 10, but proceeded to sit out the season finale on April 14. For now, it's unclear if Melton's unavailability at practice was a mere precaution. He should be considered questionable for Wednesday's game against Miami.

APRIL 15 • ROTOWIRE

Won't play Sunday Melton (back/injury recovery) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Brooklyn, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Melton is joined by Joel Embiid (knee/injury maintenance) as key absences for Philadelphia on Sunday. Despite being in a three-way tie for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers appear on track to prioritize health to prepare for a Play-In Tournament showdown in the coming week.

APRIL 14 • ROTOWIRE

Gets questionable tag Melton is considered questionable for Sunday's regular-season finale due to a back injury.

Impact Melton recently returned from a 21-game absence due to back issues, so it looks like the 76ers may err on the side of caution with him ahead of the playoffs. More light should be shed on the situation closer to tipoff.

APRIL 13 • ROTOWIRE

Gets 16 minutes in return Melton (back) tallied five points (2-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt), three rebounds, three assists and two steals across 16 minutes in Tuesday's 120-102 win over the Pistons.

Impact After missing the 76ers' previous 21 games, Melton looked at risk of missing the rest of the regular season, given that the team had been relatively mum on his status since he was shut down in early March while he contended with lumbar spine bone stress. Melton was somewhat surprisingly upgraded to questionable ahead of Tuesday's contest and then ultimately cleared to play, with the 25-year-old proceeding to reclaim a role in head coach Nick Nurse's rotation. Though Melton's poor shooting resulted in a rather disappointing fantasy line, he brought some value on the defensive end. Melton is unlikely to see his role expand much further, as the 76ers should soon get back Tyrese Maxey (hip) and Kyle Lowry (knee), both of whom sat out Tuesday.

APRIL 10 • ROTOWIRE

Set to return Tuesday Melton (back) is available for Tuesday's game versus the Pistons, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports.

Impact Melton will return to action Tuesday after missing Philadelphia's last 21 contests with a back injury. However, the 25-year-old guard will operate under a heavy minutes restriction, per Derek Bodner of AllPHLY.com.

APRIL 9 • ROTOWIRE

Questionable for Tuesday's game Melton (back) is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Pistons.

Impact Although coach Nick Nurse said in late March that Melton wasn't close to returning, the guard will be in the mix to get back on the court for Tuesday's matchup. Even if Melton is cleared to return over the final week of the regular season, the 76ers will likely monitor his workload ahead of the playoffs.

APRIL 8 • ROTOWIRE

Not close to returning Coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday that Melton (back) isn't close to playing, but the team is hopeful he can return at some point this season, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com reports...

Impact Melton hasn't played since Feb. 27 due to lumbar spine bone stress and remains without a clear return timetable. Nurse said there's a "very good" chance that Joel Embiid (knee) and Robert Covington (knee) return before the playoffs, but the coach's tone was less optimistic about Melton's future availability.

MARCH 27 • ROTOWIRE

Still without clear return date Head coach Nick Nurse said Monday that he had no update on the status of Melton, who hasn't played since Feb. 27 due to lumbar spine bone stress, Derek Bodner of AllPHLY.com report...

Impact Melton is scheduled to be re-evaluated later in the coming days once his two-week off-loading period concludes, but his return doesn't appear to be imminent. Nurse mentioned within the past two days that the other two 76ers players dealing with long-term injuries -- Joel Embiid (knee) and Robert Covington (knee) -- have resumed non-contact on-court work, so both are seemingly closer to playing than Melton at this point. With the growing likelihood that his absence will stretch into April, Melton isn't worth holding in the majority of redraft leagues.

MARCH 19 • ROTOWIRE

Out at least two more weeks The 76ers announced Wednesday that Melton (back) has begun an offloading period and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.

Impact After a solid start to 2023-24, Melton has been plagued by injuries, especially back issues. He's appeared in just five of Philadelphia's last 29 games and is slated to miss at least a couple more. Given he's shutting things down for a bit, it'd be surprising to see Melton cleared for a full workload two weeks from now, as he'll probably need some time to regain his conditioning after returning to basketball activities. Buddy Hield and Kelly Oubre should continue to benefit from Melton's ongoing absence.

MARCH 6 • ROTOWIRE

Without return timetable Coach Nick Nurse said Melton (back) is out for Friday's game versus the Hornets and is unsure when he'll return, Ky Carlin of USA Today reports.

Impact Melton left Tuesday's game versus Boston with back spasms after recently returning from a lengthy absence due to a lumbar spine stress response. With these injuries possibly being related, it wouldn't be surprising for Melton to miss significant time. Kelly Oubre and Cameron Payne are candidates to receive increased playing time in his absence.

FEBRUARY 29 • ROTOWIRE