The Charlotte Hornets declined to tender Tre Mann his one-year, $6.94M qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The news was first reported by Mike Scotto of HoopsHype.
Mann, 24, was dealt to the Hornets at the 2024 trade deadline after spending his first two and a half years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The former Gator averaged 11.9 points and 5.2 assists in 28 games without LaMelo Ball to end the 2023-24 season.
As for the 2024-25 season, Mann looked like an early Sixth Man of the Year contender, averaging 14.1 points across 13 games before going down with a disc injury in his back that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
Mann had posted workout videos on social media recently, and Shams Charania of ESPN reported last week that the guard had fully recovered from the disc injury, and had been participating in the Hornets recent offseason activity.
The Hornets dealt Jusuf Nurkic to the Utah Jazz for guard Collin Sexton yesterday, which has thrown the Hornets’ plans with Tre into question. With the Hornets having an abundance of guard depth, Mann’s return starts to become questionable, with the Sexton deal only raising those questions.
Sexton averaged 18.4 points last season in 63 games. He immediately brings scoring and defense to a Hornets team that needs both of them, and he is a better player than Mann. That being said, the Hornets are at a point where they need as much talent as they can get. While a logjam at the guard position is present, it’s better to have too much talent than too little.
The Hornets can offer Tre a multi-year deal worth less than the $6.94 qualifying offer, which may be the route the team approaches.
“Bringing Tre back is a priority for us,” President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson said after the NBA Draft. “I’m having conversations with Tre and his representation, and I don’t see any reason why he’s not back.”
While this was before the Collin Sexton deal, it remains unknown what the Hornets’ intentions are with Mann.
Free agency opens at 6 PM EST tonight.
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