There are no hard feelings about trading De’Anthony Melton
Zach Kleiman was asked about trading fan-favorite De’Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers on draft night, a move that enabled them to land David Roddy with the No. 23 overall pick.
“De’Anthony Melton was a big part of this team. Really appreciated what he brought to the table on the court and off the court in the community in Memphis is well,” Kleiman said.
Melton was a key back-up guard on the team, having joined the team during the 2019-20 season and eventually earned the nickname Mr. Do Something from Grizzlies television color commentator and former NBA player Brevin Knight.
@DeAnthonyMelton aka Mr Do Something will be creating havoc for the rest of his career. I hate I won’t get to see that infectious smile on a regular basis but I’ll be rooting hard for his success. Good luck “hooper”!!!!
— Brevin Knight (@brevinknight22) June 24, 2022
“ had and expect to continue to have a great relationship with De’Anthony going forward,” Kleiman said during the press event. “Never easy to move on from someone who was a very significant part of the team.”
Melton averaged a career-best 10.8 PPG, a career-best 4.5 RPG, and tied his career high in steals per game (1.4 per game) this past season.
Philadelphia is getting an incredibly effective player in Melton and will sure to be a key contributor as Joel Embiid and (presumably) James Harden work their way back into the Eastern Conference Playoffs next season.