Recent Clippers Guard Gets Honest on Leaving Team in Unexpected Trade

After his trade to the Hawks, Mann seemed to have found a good home, averaging 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game with efficient 54.1/38.6/66.7 shooting splits through 30 appearances and one start. However, his time in Atlanta came to an end sooner than expected.

This offseason, the Hawks traded Mann to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that brought star big man Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta from the Boston Celtics. Now, after spending six-and-a-half seasons with the same franchise, Mann finds himself on the third team of his career within the span of a few months.

Mann had a promising career with the Clippers and became a big part of what they were doing, but his role on the team ultimately slipped toward the end of his tenure. By the time he got traded, Mann was ready to leave.

Mann opens up about the trade

In a recent interview with The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Mann got honest about how he felt after being traded from LA to Atlanta.

“I was super excited to be traded the first time, I kind of felt like my time in L.A. was up and it was time for me to get out of there,” Mann said. “I did six seasons there as a second-round pick and a lot of guys don’t get to do that so, I really felt excited to get traded to the East Coast and to an organization like Atlanta.”

Mann was not too caught off guard by his trade from Atlanta to Brooklyn either.

“It didn’t come as a surprise to me,” he continued. “It’s going to be crazy to play in an environment like that, something new. I’m one of the oldest guys on the team, want to be a leader, show those guys what it takes to win.”

Mann was a staple for the Clippers for years, having many memorable moments with the franchise, but he ultimately felt like it was time to move on. Of course, the Clippers felt like it was time for a change as well, and both sides got what they wanted.