Examining the three best fits for Hornets restricted free agent guard Tre Mann

Charlotte should be one of the best matches for the former Florida Gator. Mann would get a solid contract despite his injury, and even if he doesn't want to stay in Charlotte long-term, he'll have a big enough role next season to potentially earn himself a payday somewhere else.

Meanwhile, the Hornets really need someone who can take pressure off of Ball and Miller in the scoring and ball-handling departments. If they don't take another guard in the upcoming draft, keeping a player that's already familiar with the franchise on board seems convenient. Even more so, considering Mann is a player who embraces having the ball in his hands a lot.

But let's say Charlotte's front office decides to pick a high-usage player in the upcoming draft, keeps Seth Curry around as a veteran presence, and maybe even wants to alleviate KJ Simpson, who showed some flashes in his limited minutes last season. If an extension isn't on the table, where else could Mann go?

The Brooklyn Nets

It's not easy to find many more landing spots for Mann around the NBA, as he's probably going to command a somewhat considerable amount of money, injury or not. But there is one franchise that has plenty of dollars to hand out, and that is the Brooklyn Nets.

As of right now, Brooklyn only has four players on their payroll going into next season. That number could rise significantly with five team options and five picks in the upcoming draft at hand.

But the Nets are the only team in the NBA with that level of roster flexibility in the first place, which makes them a premier destination for mid-level free agents like Mann, who hope to sign a contract slightly above their market value if possible.

Jordi Fernández has also worked with players similar to Mann in the past. He was an assistant coach on the De'Aaron Fox-led Kings before taking on the head coach role in Brooklyn, where Dennis Schröder thrived at the beginning of last season before being traded.

The Orlando Magic

A team whose name is always thrown around as a possible destination for offensive-minded guards is the Orlando Magic. Notorious for their elite defense, the lack of backcourt production and shooting keeps hampering their hopes for a deep playoff run.

As was the case this year, where the Magic ranked dead last in guard points per game in the playoffs with 24.2, far behind the second-to-last Miami Heat, who had an average of 40.3. The demand for a scoring guard in Orlando is undeniably high, even after trading for Desmond Bane. But it's a tricky situation.

With one of the heftiest payrolls in the NBA, the Magic can't make Mann a tempting offer should he hit restricted free agency. They'd have to either strike a sign-and-trade deal with the Hornets or hope that demand for Mann is so low due to his injury that they could snag him for a cheap salary.

Conclusion

If Charlottes front office doesn't have any type of damning information on his back injury, it's extremely likely Mann will stay. But should the Hornets not want to go all in on him or prefer to draft another ball handler, the Nets could swoop in and offer a contract slightly above his current market value.

In the unlikely case that the concerns with Mann's back injury grow larger among the league's front offices and his asking price drops drastically, the Magic would be a team that could use Mann's scoring and also offer him a role on a team that plans on having postseason success.

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