Tre Mann Helped OKC Thunder Future in Summer League

Heading into his third NBA season, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Tre Mann is in an interesting position with the franchise.

Mann is coming off a down year in his sophomore season, and while a decrease in stats can be attributed to a decrease in playing time, with an improved Thunder roster, his 3-point percentage also took a dramatic hit.

Last year's Thunder roster was already pretty guard-heavy. But with the selection of Cason Wallace No. 10 overall in the 2023 Draft and the signing of Vasilije Micić, it is even more so.

That's not to mention the need for cuts from the Thunder roster, as the roster currently consists of over 20 players.

Mann is seemingly one of the odd ones out, but his Summer League play may have been impressive enough to make the Thunder want to keep the former Florida Gator around.

In four Summer League games, Mann averaged 20.5 points per game and shot 53.8% overall, including 46.4% from the 3-point line. He was on fire, showing off the potential great scoring and shot creation that he could provide for Oklahoma City.

Although Mann stands at 6-foot-3, his game allows him to be just as useful for the Thunder at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Wallace and Mann could potentially play well together as a bench backcourt, due to Wallace's ability to cover for Mann's subpar defense.

While Oklahoma City could consider moving Mann before the season starts, seeing if he can grow in his third season may be much more beneficial.

After his disappointing season, Mann's value is likely not very high amongst other NBA teams. Some teams may be interested in taking a flyer on him, but they wouldn't be interested in giving up much of value.

The Thunder could add him to a much larger trade if they want to go after an OG Anunoby or a big man to pair alongside Chet, but his value would only make for a small part of the overall trade.

Mann's impressive Summer League could be a signal for an impact year for the Thunder, and it could be in OKC's best interest to keep the guard around for at least the start of the 2023-24 season.

Mann could be a go-to spark plug off the bench and provide insurance if any of the Thunder's guards go down with an injury. He has has shown what he can do as a primary ball handler and with a couple seasons under his belt, he may have started to figure out NBA defenses better.

The clock is ticking on Oklahoma City's decision to part with players before next season, so Thunder fans should receive a decision on Tre Mann's future with the team in the coming weeks.

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