NBA Trade Talk: Warriors Should Target Offensive-Minded Former First-Round Pick
For any young player, fit is everything. Just because someone isn’t getting playing time doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable or have upside. There’s a variety of reasons in which they might not be in the nightly rotation on their own squad, but could thrive on a different team.
This could be the case for Tre Mann. The former first-round pick rarely plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but is a tremendous scorer when he does get on the floor. After a really solid rookie season, he’s slowly fallen out of the rotation and seen a reduced role.
Mann is set to hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2025. With that in mind, if Oklahoma City doesn’t view him as part of the long-term plans, getting value out of him at the upcoming trade deadline could make sense. The more time that goes on without him playing regularly, the more his value on the market could drop. It’s certainly not at an all-time high today, but opposing teams could view him as a reclamation project.
One team that could make sense when considering fit and need is the Golden State Warriors.
As good as Golden State has been in recent history — winning numerous titles during a dominant dynasty — it appears there is a chance that has officially come to an end. While the Warriors could be buyers at the deadline and acquire more win-now talent to make another run at a championship with Steph Curry, they should also be considering their future.
Golden State was able to develop Jordan Poole into a really impactful player for them, who is a similar archetype of prospect as Mann. Could the Warriors do something similar with the current Thunder guard if they were to acquire him? He could end up being a key piece in the next era of Warriors basketball.
Mann is still just 22 years old and a walking bucket. He averaged 10.4 points per game as a rookie and flashed three-level scoring, advanced shot making and a crafty handle. He’s been limited since, but the talent is clearly there.
It wouldn’t take a haul to acquire him — and the Thunder likely aren’t expecting a significant return — but Tre Mann to the Warriors could be a fringe move that makes sense at the upcoming trade deadline for both sides.
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