Strong start to season for ex-Thunder a grim reminder of what could have been

For the first time since relocating to the southwest back in 2008, the OKC Thunder find themselves sporting a 6-0 record to kick off an NBA season.

From the mesmerizing leaps forward made by guys like Chet Holmgren to their elite defensive production as a collective, this Oklahoma City squad has once again reminded the masses why they are handily in the conversation for the league's most well-constructed and enviably run organization.

Throughout his 17-year tenure with the organization, GM Sam Presti has consistently showcased his incredible ability to assess and attain top-flight talents, and his ball club's 2024-25 roster is simply yet another example of this specific skill.

With stars both budding a super accompanied by sensational role players capable of excelling on both ends of the floor, it's hard to believe that the Thunder could realistically boast a better assortment of ballers than what they currently have at their dissposal.

However, through these first two weeks of the new campaign, one former player's high-end production serves as an agonizing reminder that it could have been.

Tre Mann's strong start to season a grim reminder of what Thunder lost

For those who haven't completely blocked it out of their memories, fans likely remember that the Thunder executed a splashy mid-season transaction mid-way through last year to acquire veteran forward Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets.

Initially believed to be a no-brainer move, the addition of the former All-Star was viewed as a clear win-now deal for the youngest number-one seed in NBA history, and giving up a package headlined by two future second-round picks and an inconsistent recent first-round selection in Tre Mann for someone of Hayward's ilk appeared too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Fast forward roughly eight months later, however, and it's evident that the trade has aged like room-temperature cottage cheese.

Not only did the veteran fail to mesh with his Thunder teammates and become acclimated to coach Mark Daigneault's scheme, but he would lose his spot in the rotation entirely by the second round of the playoffs and, ultimately, opted to retire from the game in early August.

However, perhaps the most nauseating turnout of the exchange finds itself unfolding during these infancy stages of this year's campaign, as Mann currently finds himself balling out as a key member of Charlotte's rotation.

Virtually right upon his arrival in North Carolina, it seemed the guard had uncovered a new-found confidence, as he would go on to up all of his numbers by substantial margins during his 28-game stint with the team. He would cap off the final five games of 2023-24 with truly impressive averages of 15.0 points, 6.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 steals on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor.

Now, through six games played during his follow-up season with the franchise, Mann has gone on to bring his game to even greater heights, as he's finally displaying the brand of ball-handling, perimeter scoring, and distributing abilities that originally made him a first-round prospect following his two-year stint at Florida back in 2021.

In 27.7 minutes per night, the fourth-year pro is posting a whopping 19.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds off the bench while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from deep on an average of 6.0 attempts.

Now, while it may still be quite early in the year, Mann's productivity has caught the attention of fans and pundits alike, and rightly so. He's been so spectacular, in fact, that odds-makers now have him included in this season's Sixth Man of the Year race.

Recently, coach Daigneault publicly addressed Mann's, along with a few other former Thunder players' strong starts to the season, noting that "we want those guys to do well," as it "reflects well on the program.

While these comments are undoubtedly nice to hear, it goes without saying that he'd almost certainly rather be the one with the 23-year-old playing the role of spark-plug sixth man within his rotation rather than in Charlotte's, especially when considering the Thunder rank a middling 18 overall in bench points per game

Though Oklahoma City has obviously managed to get by (to put it lightly) without Tre Mann's fourth-year breakout, his high-end play through this point is a harsh reminder that they optionally parted ways with this promising, young talent for a mere three-month, faulty rental player in Gordon Hayward.

Hindsight may be 20/20, but that shouldn't make this reality any easier for Thunder fans.