Nico Mannion, a new hypothesis for the future pops up.

The future of Nico Mannion remains at the center of fans’ attention, albeit with the 2001 class still engaged in the Scudetto playoffs with Olimpia Milano. According to a report by the ‘Corriere del Mezzogiorno,’ Napoli Basketball has reportedly put the son of Pace in its sights, identifying him as the right profile to further raise the level of its ambitions ahead of the 2026‑2027 season.

Coach Jasmin Repesa’s idea is clear: to build a strong Italian frame and add to the elements already present a young but already internationally experienced director. Mannion, who is expected to be released by Milan at the end of the year, represents an ideal candidate for technical characteristics and growth margins. The main knot remains the salary, estimated at around 600,000 euros per year: a challenging figure, but not out of reach for a project aiming at a leap in quality.

Napoli is coming off a chiaroscuro season, the first of the so-called “American Era,” with Italian‑American entrepreneur Matt Rizzetta at the helm of the club. After a brilliant first round, culminating with qualification for the Final Eight of the Italian Cup (in which it lost in the quarterfinals to Virtus Bologna), the team ended the regular season in tenth place, missing out on playoff access.

Next season will start again with Repesa and one of his protégés, John Petrucelli, already put under contract on a two-year deal. Mannion’s eventual arrival would be the icing on the cake and the definitive signal of a project that wants to consolidate at the top, looking for the first real confirmations of the Rizzetta era.