The Golden State Warriors had to wait until training camp to make their offseason acquisitions. Clear elation was seeing Al Horford join the team. But Steve Kerr and others will have to wait a few more months to have one of their stars. Notably, De’Anthony Melton is yet to fully recover from an ACL tear he suffered with the Warriors last season.

Melton was traded right after the injury. The veteran guard is progressing well. However, given the severity of his injury, the Warriors don’t want to rush the 27-year-old back to return. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, “The Warriors anticipate he will miss the early portion of the regular season, per sources,”.

Tim Bontemps reported on the same. While Kerr missed media day, he was present to answer questions after the first practice. The Warriors head coach presumes Melton will take “the next couple of months” to fully finish his rehab process. The ailment will rule him out for the opener against the Lakers and a few more games, as the Warriors will re-evaluate De’Anthony Melton in four weeks.

That wait, though, could be worth it. Before tearing his ACL after just 6 games, the 27-year-old shared a successful dynamic besides Stephen Curry. Mike Dunleavy admitted that the Warriors were hopeful they would get a chance to reunite with Melton in the summer. Once the opportunity presented itself, they took it instantly. As for any sour feelings, Melton has none.

The former Grizzlies guard understood the Warriors’ situation. “I mean, I probably would have traded myself too, especially given the way the season was at the time,” he said. Ultimately, his trade helped facilitate the Warriors’ move for Jimmy Butler. Now, they have a strong core that believes they can win a championship.

But while Melton will take time to return, one star will participate in training camp only to be cut.

Seth Curry will have to wait his turn with the Warriors

Seth Curry was on the Warriors’ radar much before the Jonathan Kuminga drama settled. They even managed to sign him to an Exhibit 9 deal. It allows him to play with the team during training camp and get acclimated to the system. However, after training camp ends, so does Curry’s stint as a member of the Warriors.

But it’s not because the Bay doesn’t want him. They can’t afford to keep him for the entire season.

Kuminga signed a $48.5 million extension with the Warriors. It ended the summer-long contract stalemate, allowing the Warriors to reach deals with their targets. It also pushed their total salary to $205.7 million. Since Horford signed for the entire taxpayer mid-level exception, it hard-capped the Warriors at the second apron.

Because of this, the Warriors can’t afford to give Seth Curry a veteran minimum contract without breaching the apron. Hence, Steve Kerr will have to wait until November 10 to welcome Curry as an official member of the roster. For the first month, the Warriors will have a thin guard rotation, but no major absences.

For now, the Warriors won’t be panicking.