Should Nets Extend Clowney, Mann Before the Season?

Beneath all the Michael Porter Jr. contract extension noise, there are two other Brooklyn Nets eligible for one: Noah Clowney and Terance Mann.

There is enough time for the organization to handle potential negotiations, as the deadline to extend both is Oct. 19, one day before opening night.

Clowney qualifies for a rookie scale extension, entering the final season of his four-year, $15.15 million deal. He's made a strong case for the front office to commit to him.

The 6-foot-10 forward has improved every season. He played 23 games and averaged 5.8 points in his rookie campaign, rose to 46 games and 9.1 points in 2024-25 and capped it off with 66 games and 12.3 points last season.

Brooklyn hasn't seen that steady year-to-year growth since drafting Cam Thomas in 2021, and it's something it should keep before another team swoops in.

Extending Clowney gives the Nets one significant advantage: avoiding restricted free agency. They have the right to first refusal on an offer sheet submitted to their 2023 first-round pick, but risk losing him for nothing if the price tag is too hefty, unless he's sign-and-traded.

Clowney is the most proven player ready to start the season as the backup power forward to Julius Randle. Joshua Jefferson is a rookie, and Danny Wolf still has strides to make entering his second season, notably becoming a better three-point shooter (32.2% last season).

Mann isn't eligible for his extension until Oct. 1. He signed his veteran extension with the Los Angeles Clippers on Sept. 27, 2024. The Clippers traded him that year to the Atlanta Hawks for Bogdan Bogdanović and three future second-round picks.

Brooklyn acquired the seven-year veteran as part of a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and Hawks to obtain the draft rights of Drake Powell (No. 22 pick) last offseason.

He had a solid showing in his first season, averaging 7.2 points, shooting 36.4% from three and guarding multiple players out on the perimeter. His versatility was a nice fit in coach Jordi Fernández's system as a high-intensity two-way role player.

However, an extension with the Nets seems unlikely. They signed Keon Ellis to a two-year, $18 million contract this offseason, and he is comparable to Mann.

Ellis is two inches shorter at 6-foot-4 and shot 36.3% from three last season. He pressures ball-handlers, and his active hands often lead to steals (career average 1.2 steals).

Both are on the team for the next two years, but Mann is owed $31.5 million. His $15 million salary makes him a valuable add-on in trade packages if general manager Sean Marks wants to make a move at the trade deadline.

Brooklyn is in no rush to extend these players, with over two months to get an extension done. But the team is playing a dangerous game if it allows Clowney to hit restricted free agency.