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Cavaliers Sign EuroLeague Star After LeBron James Snub: Report
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. With LeBron James deciding to suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers in what will likely be the final seasons of his career, it closed down what could've been a storybook ending for the NBA legend.
Many believed that the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat made a lot of sense because James played multiple seasons for both teams and won three championships between them. However, he chose a new situation in Philly that he and his agent felt made the most sense, signing a reported two-year $8 million contract with a player option.
James's snubbing of his former teams means they will have to contend without him and play against him in the Eastern Conference. According to ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania, the Cavaliers have further added to their roster by signing Mario Hezonja, a former NBA player who was starring in the EuroLeague.
Charania reported, via Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management, that the Cavs signed Hezonja to a one-year $2.8 million deal to fulfil a "key wing role" in the team's rotation.
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The Orlando Magic had high hopes for Hezonja when they drafted him fifth overall in 2015. He seemed on the rise with potential due to his improved stats in 2017-18, but he never quite panned out to be an NBA Draft steal for the team. After playing just three seasons in Orlando, he also had brief stints with the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers.
In his final NBA season with the Trail Blazers, he averaged just 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 16.4 minutes per game. He only played in 53 of his team's games that season.
Since 2021, Hezonja has spent his basketball career in Europe, playing for Panathinaikos, UNICS Kazan, and most recently, Real Madrid. He's averaged double digits in points since playing in the Euroleague, and still seems capable of lending his skills to an NBA squad.
The Cavaliers are coming off a disappointing season in which it felt like they had a chance to reach the NBA Finals. However, they had to get past challenging first- and second-round opponents in the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons. After winning back-to-back seven-game series, Cleveland was swiftly swept from the postseason by the New York Knicks.
Despite not landing James, they'll bring back their All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell along with big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The 6-foot-9 Hezonja should fit nicely into the rotation behind starting power forward Mobley, since the team lost reserve Dean Wade this offseason. Wade also joined the 76ers, where he is now one of King James's teammates.
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