Close to a month after locking up starting center Ivica Zubac on a three year extension, the Clippers did the same with starting wing Terance Mann. Mann’s deal came in a little lower than Zu’s, at 3/47 instead of 3/58.6, but it’s a number that makes a great deal of sense for both sides.
Terance, who came into the league as the 48th pick in the 2019 Draft, is the second-longest tenured player on the Clippers – behind just Zu. Across his five-year career, he’s averaged 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on strong scoring efficiency and solid defense. As a late second round pick, Terance’s first contract was very small, and even after his 2 year, $22M extension in October 2021 this new deal will close to double all of his previous earnings. It’s not a massive bag for an NBA player, but it’s a lot of money.
For the Clippers, Terance, like Zu, has been one of the most reliable players on the team. Since he entered the rotation in his second season, he’s played in 67 (in a shortened 2021 season), 81, 81, and 75 games, missing under 15 games total in that span. He hasn’t developed quite how fans were hoping after his breakout season in 2021 as a 24-year-old, but he has filled whatever role the Clippers’ coaching staff has asked of him, and done it while playing hard and with constant energy. Even if he’s more of a 5th starter or key bench player on a great team, those players, especially at the coveted wing positions, are making well over $10M per year for the most part, making this a very fair deal (if not quite a steal) for the Clips.
In the longer-term, the Clippers now have Terance under contract through the 2028 season, the same as Zu. At that time, Terance would be 31, or nearing the end of his prime. In short, the Clippers have secured two of their hopeful starters for the next few years on very reasonable deals that are flexible under the new CBA. Good work by the team.
However, let’s not kid ourselves about Terance being a trade chip. This is a bit different than Zu, as the Clippers have no replacement for Zu on the horizon. Terance is a different story – the Clippers just signed Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn to three-year deals this summer, and there’s some overlap (though also some clear notable differences) between the three veterans. The Clippers also drafted Cam Christie in the second round and have Jordan Miller waiting in the wings as well. Now, those players could all be traded as well, but Mann’s deal probably increases his trade value, not the other way around. In short, while I’d love for Terance to play out this deal in LA, that outcome is by no means a certainty.
With the Zu and Terance extensions in the books, the Clippers’ offseason work is probably over. A Bones Hyland or PJ Tucker trade could still come, but there have been no rumors along those lines, so this seems like it will be the roster come training camp in a few days. Congratulations to Terance on the new deal!
