Analyst predicts 'tricky' free agent Tre Mann will return to Hornets on low-risk deal

Tre Mann looked to be a steal of the 2023 trade deadline for the Charlotte Hornets. He came off the bench and was a scoring machine. Early in 2024, it looked like it wasn't a fluke as he averaged 14.1 points on 43.5% shooting in just 24/5 minutes per game.

Alas, his season was cut short by injury. He appeared in just 13 games thanks to a back injury that kept him out indefinitely all the way until the season ended. Now, he's a restricted free agent who poses a unique problem for Charlotte.

Do they buy his performance in the small sample size? Do they risk signing someone with such a brutal injury history (something they have enough of) for the long term? Do they even offer him the $7 million to officially make him an RFA, or should they just let him go and sign him for less than that?

All this and more make Mann a very interesting free agent in The Athletic insider John Hollinger's eyes. "Mann is also in a tricky role because he’s not a pure point guard but isn’t built like a wing. He’s only 180 pounds soaking wet and wears giant, baggy shorts, so he looks like he teleported out of a Kris Kross video into 2025. Not every team will see him as a roster fit," Hollinger argued.

Because of a lack of interest and the alarming injury issue, Hollinger said, "My best guess is that Mann signs a two-year minimum deal with a player option in Charlotte, one that allows him to get paid with the Hornets’ Bird rights if his 2025-26 production matches the way he started 2024-25. Such an arrangement also limits Charlotte’s exposure to committing to a bad contract off a small sample of games."

It's unclear what kind of market Mann will have this offseason. The talent may or may not be there, and the injury issues are real. The Hornets clearly have a player that seems to fit, but what is that worth to the team right now? Mann is one of the most interesting players in this class because of that.

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