What do the Hornets do with Tre Mann?

The Hornets have an important decision to make with Tre Mann

Austin Leake | Feb 26, 2025

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Charlotte Hornets

Tre Mann was in store for a breakout season for the Charlotte Hornets before he suffered a back injury that has kept him off the court since the middle of November. Mann has only appeared in 13 games for the Hornets in the 2024-2025 season and is unlikely to suit up again this season, however, he hasn't been officially ruled out by the team.

In the 13 games that Mann appeared in, he averaged 14.1 points per game, along with 3.0 assists, and 2.9 rebounds, while shooting an impressive 43.5% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range. Although the sample size was small, there was no question that Mann was flat-out balling.

If Mann hadn't suffered the injury, he might've had an opportunity to be in the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

The Hornets have been riddled with injuries and with Mann last playing on November 20th, he's almost become a forgotten piece of the team's young core.

Mann, who is a restricted free agent this summer, had an opportunity to take a contract extension before the Hornets season started. It was believed that he took the chance on himself because he wanted to earn more money on his next deal, which didn't really turn out the best, due to his back injury.

Mann's back issue is without a doubt a major concern. The Hornets have provided very little to no updates regarding the 24-year-old's status, which is oddly similar to Mark Williams' situation just last season with his lower back injury.

However, Mann's injury was initially described as "disc irritation", before being replaced with a new name of "disc herniation." The new term the Hornets used on the injury report was interesting since the initial term was the label for many months.

With that in mind, it leaves the Hornets in a tough situation, as they will have to decide whether it's worth it to bring back Mann on another contract. Since Mann suffered a potential season-ending injury and appeared in less than 15 games, it's quite possible the Hornets could retain him on a much smaller and cheaper deal.

However, the question will be, how much does the injury affect Mann moving forward, and do the Hornets trust in him as part of the future core?

Both of those questions will be answered at the end of June when free-agency starts taking place.