The Warriors have an interesting but risky option to replace De'Anthony Melton that nobody is talking about

Just when Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr finally seemed to have a set starting lineup in place with De'Anthony Melton joining Steph Curry in the backcourt, Melton went down with a season-ending ACL injury.

And while likely just a coincidence, the Dubs, for the most part, have struggled ever since.

In the six games in which he did appear before his injury, Melton, who signed a one-year deal with Golden State in the offseason, was playing solid enough basketball, averaging 10.3 points in 20.2 minutes per game while shooting 40.3% from the floor and 37.1% from the three-point line. He also added 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Once Melton went down, Kerr replaced him in the starting lineup with Lindy Waters III, who filled in admirably. But after a rough couple of games last week, Waters was relegated back to the bench last Saturday against the Phoenix Suns.

In his place at the two spot was Brandin Podziemski, who ended up having one of his best overall games of the season, scoring a dozen points on 4-for-8 shooting and adding seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block while committing just one turnover.

One of the strongest things this Golden State team has going for it is depth, as this very well may be the deepest roster Kerr has ever had. And almost every player on this roster can play multiple positions, so that's certainly another positive as well.

With the Warriors having such a deep team, which has led to them having the highest-scoring bench in the NBA, it's not as if they need to replace Melton at this point. But having another body around in case someone else goes down wouldn't hurt.

And while they could make a trade to make that happen, there's another option that nobody is talking about at this point: John Wall.

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John Wall is an option the Warriors should at least consider

John Wall is one of the biggest "what if" stories in the NBA in recent years.

Easily one of the top guards in the league during his prime with the Washington Wizards, Wall earned five consecutive trips to the NBA All-Star Game (2014-2018) before injuries (knees, heel, Achilles) derailed his career.

The injuries actually started during that string of All-Star nods, as he was limited to 41 games in 2017-18 and then played just 32 in 2018-19. Wall then missed the entire 2019-20 campaign and appeared in just 40 contests in 2020-21 after being traded to the Houston Rockets.

While somewhat confusing, he and the Rockets agreed to a decision for him not to play the 2021-22 season as the team was developing Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. The two sides then came to an agreement on a contract buyout after that campaign concluded.

Wall last suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022-23, appearing in 34 games before he was traded back to the Rockets, who waived him three days later.

Despite sitting out for nearly two years now, as his last appearance took place on January 13, 2023, Wall has expressed his desire to return to the NBA on several occasions. Even as recently as September, during an appearance on the The Knuckleheads podcast, the 34-year-old said he's willing to accept any role on a team as long as it gets him back on the floor.

And perhaps a role on this Warriors team is the one he's been waiting for.

Would there be some risk on Golden State's end? Of course. The injury history speaks for itself and obviously can't be ignored. But this is an option at least worth exploring.

From a financial standpoint, Wall would likely just have to accept the veteran minimum, which would only cost the Warriors a few million bucks, which they can afford. And he'd likely go for it, as he certainly doesn't need money at this point, as he's already collected more than $276 million during his career.

As he's been away for two years, it's hard to know what he'd bring to the table from a production standpoint. But given some of the social media posts we've seen of him working, he's clearly been staying in shape.

The Warriors naturally wouldn't be expecting prime John Wall to show up. But if he can come even close to where he was in his final season, that'd work just fine.

In those 34 games he played with the Clips in 2022-23, he averaged 11.4 points in 22.2 minutes per game, shooting 40.8% from the floor and adding 5.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds. That's pretty darn close to what Golden State was getting from Melton.

Is this likely to happen? Probably not. But if Wall is going to get another shot at the NBA, the Warriors are probably the best fit, as Kerr has a way of making anyone fit into his system. Again, it's undoubtedly worth Golden State's time to at least take a look.