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We saw, at various times throughout the past season and into the playoffs, just what Clippers second-year man Terance Mann can do when given a chance. But we also saw that with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George firmly ahead of him on the wing depth chart, chances are hard to come by for Mann.
That could have some implications for the team this offseason, as Mann heads into the final guaranteed year of his contract, worth $1.8 million. The Clippers hold a team option in 2022-23 for $1.9 million and, thus, could have Mann on hand as an utter bargain for two more seasons.
But the Clippers could offer an extension for Mann, worth as much as about $56 million over four years. According to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto, though, discussions on a potential Mann extension have yet to begin. That is not a huge surprise, given that the Clippers and Mann have all offseason to work out a deal.
“To my knowledge, Mann and the Clippers haven’t had those conversations yet,” Scotto said on the Hoopshype podcast. “It’s a little too soon to discuss it. That said, my sense is the only way it makes sense for Mann to consider signing an extension with the Clippers at this point is if they offered a max of four years, $56 million to get ahead of potentially his future market going forward.”
Will Terance Mann Take a Contract Extension?
If Mann and the Clippers did agree to a max deal on an extension, the Clippers could have him under team control for five seasons. But Mann’s earning power would be capped at less than $60 million in that scenario.
Mann might not want to commit to a longer deal now, knowing that he could eventually be rewarded with a bigger deal if his game keeps expanding the way it has thus far in the past two seasons. Mann must consider the playing-time limitations that come signing long-term with the Clippers, which likely means a continued back-up role.
In other words, Mann must decide whether to bet on himself—that he will show he is worthy of a major contract in the coming two years—or to come to terms with the Clippers on a deal with some security.
Mann Still Needs to Establish NBA Consistency
Mann certainly had moments during which he showed jaw-dropping potential as a wing scorer. Most notable was the 39 points he scored in Game 6 of the conference semifinals against Utah, when he faced off against his old high school rival, Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. Leonard was injured in that game and Mann’s production was badly needed.
During the regular season, too, there was Mann’s performance during the Clippers’ season-changing six-game winning streak in late March, during which he averaged 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds, shooting 56.1% from the field and 40.0% from the 3-point line.
Still, it was clear throughout that Mann does not have the full trust of coach Ty Lue yet, and probably with good reason. After the epic performance vs. the Jazz, Mann had much more modest numbers in the conference finals against the Suns, despite the Clippers still playing without Leonard—Mann scored 8.3 points per game in the series with just 3.2 rebounds, playing 27.8 minutes.
Mann has emphasized learning throughout the season, taking advantage of the wisdom of the Clippers’ veterans. Consistency might be the one thing he needs to learn most from them before getting a big contract.
“I learned a lot,” Mann said. “I learned a lot about these guys. It was great being out on the court with them. I’d go to battle with any one of these guys. Everybody was ready to fight when their name was called. And just about ourselves, I learned I’m ready to fight when my name is called. I’m ready to win and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win.”
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