RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesFollowing a fruitless pursuit of LeBron James , the Cleveland Cavaliers are pivoting.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania , the Cavs are signing forward Mario Hezonja.
If that name doesn't ring a bell it's because Hezonja, 31, hasn't played in the NBA since the 2019-20 when he was on the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies .
Hezonja's deal with the Cavs is reportedly for one year and $2.8 million.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic , Hezonja has spent the past six seasons playing in Europe, mainly for Real Madrid in Liga ACB and the EuroLeague tournament. In 28 Liga ACB games last season, Hezonja averaged 17.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In 38 EuroLeague tournament games he averaged 13.2 points and 3.3 rebounds.
The Croatian was named MVP of Liga ACB for the 2026 season. Hezonja was also named MVP of the VTB United League in Russia in 2022. His best NBA season was his third as a member of the Orlando Magic. That year he averaged 9.6 points per game for the team that originally drafted him.
Arguably Hezonja's biggest NBA highlight to date was a block and stare down against James in 2018.
Charania noted that Hezonja was also receiving interest from the Golden State Warriors, who were also in pursuit of James.
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