De'Anthony Melton has been the name many have recently fixated on as the quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers continues. The latest murmurings from the rumor mill are suggesting even Melton is on the verge of passing the Lakers by.
"The chatter with Melton and the Lakers has cooled over the last few days," Jovan Buha said on his podcast. "There's actually been more buzz with him and the [Golden State] Warriors."
If that did not make Lakers fans feel bad about the situation, then Marc Stein certainly did. The NBA insider reaffirmed the report from Buha in his own recent statement on Twitter/X.
Stein wrote, "The Warriors have emerged as a strong contender to bring back De'Anthony Melton in free agency, league sources tell [The Stein Line], in addition to Golden State's well-chronicled interest in signing Al Horford."
Melton has caught the intrigue of many in Los Angeles. His defensive abilities and strong 3-point shooting made him a natural fit for the Lakers' second unit in the eyes of onlookers. Nothing is set in stone just yet, but the situation looks far from promising for Rob Pelinka.
Bench depth remains a concern for Lakers
The Lakers have modestly improved, at best, when it comes to where their bench stands after the initial wave of free agency. That is not a good thing.
Depth was an alarming concern for the team after the premature first-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed the Lakers. So far, Pelinka and the front office are treading water in that department.
The Lakers lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets and replaced him with Jake LaRavia. The most optimistic of viewpoints would call that situation a wash.
For all his troubles, adding DeAndre Ayton is still a win for the depth. It allows the returning Jaxson Hayes to shift, once more, to the second unit. However, rolling in with Hayes as the backup center next season remains less than ideal.
Important detail here for the Lakers… https://t.co/9kCMf8vGun
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) July 7, 2025
Adding Adou Thiero should be the biggest impact addition the Lakers have outright made for the second unit. The 2025 second-round pick is capable of offering a defensive boost off the bench immediately.
Amid all that, the Lakers' depth projects to be lackluster for next season as currently constructed. Without some sort of significant shakeup in the nearby future, Los Angeles will be banking on internal improvement to gain some traction.
Bronny James and Dalton Knecht taking a leap in year two would be what the Lakers are begging for in this instance. While that is not a downright terrible gamble, neither are a sure thing by any means.
One does not have to look much further than this year's NBA Finals matchup to see the value of having a capable, versatile roster. The Lakers are risking heading into the 2025-26 season without adhering to what is clearly bringing success around the NBA.