A big reason the Golden State Warriors got blown out against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday was De'Anthony Melton's poor performance.
Melton had zero points on 0-of-5 shooting, three assists and two turnovers. He was a game-worst minus-29.
The Nuggets took advantage of his struggles by outscoring the Warriors (36-39) 70-40 in the second half.
After the game, Steve Kerr [told reporters](https://x.com/BySamGordon/status/2038488639253229729?s=20) Melton has been playing through an injury recently.
"He's banged up. His thumb is really bothering him and I think he's pressing a bit. He's dribbling into traffic. ... He's had a great season. Last couple games have been tough, but he's been banged up and we'll help him get right."
The _San Francisco Chronicle_'s [Sam Gordon](https://x.com/BySamGordon/status/2038488755695435965?s=20) added that Melton's left hand was wrapped as he left the locker room.
Melton Has Been Struggling for Weeks
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Since Feb. 28, Melton has made just 37.9 percent of his field goals and just 26.2 percent of his threes.
He's also minus-91 in that stretch, which is the second-worst mark on the team.
Up until late February, Melton had easily the best net rating on the team. But the combination of injuries and being overexposed offensively have led to this slump.
Melton is meant to be more of a secondary ball-handler, but he's often being tasked with primary ball-handling on this Warriors team. Suffice to say, he'd benefit from the return of Stephen Curry, who has missed the last 25 games with runner's knee.
Melton's Upcoming Free Agency Getting More Interesting
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When Melton was playing his best, it felt like a foregone conclusion that some team would offer him the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $15.1 million this offseason.
Now, teams might feel like that's an overpay.
After all, he's shooting a career-low 28.4 percent from three.
He makes up for some of his offensive inefficiency with strong defense and decent playmaking, but still, he could struggle to get big free-agent offers as a 6'2" guard who struggles to make threes.
The Warriors might not have the cap space to pay Melton and Porzingis unless Melton agrees to the taxpayer mid-level exception of about $6 million.
That feels like an underpay, but if his market doesn't develop the way he wants, perhaps he'll have to settle for that.
My guess is he'll get a better offer than that and take it, but it's certainly not the foregone conclusion it once was.