FOUR-YEAR VETERAN AVERAGED CAREER HIGHS IN POINTS, REBOUNDS AND ASSISTS LAST SEASON
Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced Friday afternoon that the team has acquired De’Anthony Melton in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the trade, Philadelphia sent draft rights to the No. 23 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft (David Roddy) and Danny Green to Memphis.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Danny Green for everything he gave the Sixers organization over the last two seasons. He was a veteran leader, consummate professional on and off the court, and made us all better. I wish him continued success in his recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the court.
Heading into the draft, we had a goal of strengthening our rotation and believe we accomplished that by acquiring De’Anthony Melton. He is a young, tough and talented two-way player who can impact the game on multiple levels. We think he will thrive here and we’re excited to add him to our roster,” Morey said following the trade.
Last season with Memphis, Melton averaged career highs across the board with 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.7 minutes per game. His average of 1.4 takeaways per contest led the NBA among players who played in 25-or-fewer minutes per game and also ranked within the league’s top-15 overall. Over the past two seasons, Melton has raised his three-point shooting percentage to .388, a significant jump from the .294 mark he posted in his first two career campaigns.
Melton has seen action in 235 career games with Memphis and Phoenix, averaging 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 20.7 minutes per contest. Since his NBA debut in 2018-19, Melton has 309 steals, making him one of two players with at least 300 steals in fewer than 6,000 minutes over that span.
Originally selected by Houston with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Melton was traded to Phoenix prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. He spent his lone collegiate season in his home state with the University of Southern California and posted 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals in 27.0 minutes per game. The Trojans posted a 26-10 regular season record in Melton’s time with the program, earning an appearance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and reaching the second round.
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