De’Anthony Melton has been cooking for the Golden State Warriors lately. The backup guard is averaging 15.3 points over his last six games and hitting shots at a ridiculous clip. But Jimmy Butler has noticed something else about Melton’s recent surge — his friendship with Buddy Hield.
Butler isn’t a fan of the bromance. At a recent media session, the Warriors veteran said Melton’s close friendship with Buddy Hield has put him on Butler’s bad side. Melton backed it up on the court, scoring 23 points in 18 minutes against Portland as he stays hot after missing nearly two seasons with injuries.
Jimmy Butler Complains De’Anthony Melton Is Giving Him Headache
Butler didn’t mince words when asked about what Melton brings to the Warriors right now.
“A headache, that’s what he’s giving me,” Butler said. “Because him and Buddy, they be in kahoots. They friends and stuff.”
The six-time All-Star explained that Melton and Hield are tight, describing them as “framish and stuff.” That connection automatically put Melton on Butler’s radar in a negative way.
Jimmy Butler on what De’Anthony Melton is giving the Warriors right now:
“A headache, that’s what he’s giving me. Because him in Buddy, they be in kahoots. They friends and stuff.”
Butler talked about Melton’s aggressiveness on offense and his high-level defense. pic.twitter.com/Ex1pjmdPgd
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) January 14, 2026
“So now he automatically on my bad side because he’s like Buddy,” Butler explained. “You see that? See? He’s eavesdropping.”
Butler added that the friendship is starting to influence other teammates. “And now he’s starting to rub off on Melvin,” he said, clearly frustrated with the whole situation.
Despite his complaints about the Hield connection, Butler gave Melton serious props for his on-court production. The veteran acknowledged that Melton is making major contributions on both ends.
“But the one thing I will say about Melvin, he’s making shots right now,” Butler said. “He’s getting hella aggressive. We like that he’s guarding at a high level and he’s giving us another option that we can rely on. So we want him to keep being that.”
Butler emphasized how valuable Melton has become as a scoring option who can defend multiple positions. The Warriors desperately needed another reliable bucket-getter beyond Stephen Curry and Butler himself.
When asked about the importance of having extra scoring punch, Butler broke down what the team really needs most.
“Yeah, we need to. Need as many people as we can to put the ball in the basket,” Butler explained. “But even more important for us when you guys will be able to get stops when you guys are going to able to switch.”
“Going to know and be able to communicate and guard everybody, know all the coverages,” Butler continued while stressing the defensive side of the equation. “And he’s one of those guys.”
Butler’s joke about Melton’s friendship with Hield showed a familiar side of his personality. At the same time, the Warriors have eased Hield out of the rotation as he struggles, averaging 7.2 points and shooting 32.4 percent from three.
Meanwhile, Melton continues proving he’s a critical piece for the roster. Coach Steve Kerr plans to continue increasing Melton’s minutes as his conditioning improves after he missed most of the past two seasons.
