What the Hornets' Collin Sexton trade means for Tre Mann's future in Charlotte

The Charlotte Hornets traded for Collin Sexton yesterday, adding an 18-point-per-game scorer to their bench along with a future second-round pick for Jusuf Nurkic. It depletes their center rotation a bit, especially after the Mark Williams trade, and it gives them a surplus of guards.

That could be the Hornets tipping their hand with Tre Mann, the restricted free agent who struggled with a back injury all season. He played in just 13 games, but the Hornets like him. Before the trade, he was an obvious re-sign candidate. What about now?

It is certainly much harder to see the Hornets bringing Mann back. As of now, they have a glut of guards: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Sexton, Vasilije Micic, Nick Smith Jr., Josh Okogie, Liam McNeeley, and KJ Simpson.

Adding Mann to the mix would only add more unneccesary depth at the guard logjam. However, upon a closer look, the guard spot isn't as full as it seems. Micic is an easy buyout candidate, and he's unlikely to play for Charlotte again. Simpson, and Smith Jr. for that matter, could head back to the G-League to further develop. If not, Smith Jr. is a prime trade candidate.

Knueppel and McNeeley can play forward spots as well. Okogie is the same way. That really only leaves Simpson, Smith Jr., and Sexton backing up the starting guards, which suggests that Mann could easily find a spot.

Would it be wise to sign him back when Sexton does a lot of what he does? Maybe not, but Mann is still very young and obviously fits with the Hornets. Sexton is an expiring contract, so the logjam might really only exist for this season. This, to me, doesn't rule out a Mann reunion.

The more likely thing that this trade seems to indicate is that Smith Jr.'s days are numbered. He's never quite been able to catch on at the NBA level, and a trade is very possible. A change of scenery would probably do the former first-round pick good, and while the return would be modest at best, it'd be wise to get assets of any form for a player the Hornets don't really have a spot for anymore.

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