NBA rumors continue to make waves as the league awaits a final decision from LeBron James. A majority of the NBA is on hold as they wait for the king to announce his move, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any rumblings behind the scenes. Today’s NBA Rumor recap will discuss the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Cavs have expressed interest in Mario Hezonja
The Cavaliers have been in the hunt for a forward throughout the entire free agency period.
LeBron has obviously been the number one target as they look to bring the king home. Jonathan Kuminga has also been rumored to be someone Cleveland would like to add via sign-and-trade.
Mario Hezonja is looking to make an NBA comeback, and his free agency market is expected to be determined by what LeBron decides.
Cleveland having interest should come as no surprise. This would be one of the best moves they could make on a minimum contract. Very high upside signing at a low cost. Hezonja could be an actual rotational piece for the Cavaliers this year.
Mario Hezonja 2025-26 stats (International): 17.5/1.9/4.9 on 46/36/90 shooting splits
Pelicans shopping Jordan Hawkins
Jordan Hawkins has not been able to find the shooting stroke that made him such a promising player.
He averaged just over five points a game this season, and his shooting percentages reached horrific lows. He shot just 36% from the field last season.
The Pelicans looking to trade him should not come as a surprise. He has fallen out of their future plans and does not bring anything to their current roster.
Some team around the league will still take a chance on him. A team to watch in a trade should be the Sacramento Kings. He can get playing time and opportunity to grow as a player.
The Grizzlies have been mentioned as a team that New Orleans has had trade conversations centered around Hawkins with.
Jordan Hawkins 2025-26 stats: 5.1/1.7/0.8 on 36/34/85 shooting splits.
Grizzlies expected to part ways with D’Angelo Russell
D’Angelo Russell was never viewed as a piece that the Grizzlies would go into next season with.
Now, it’s being reported that the two sides will work together on an exit. That could be by a trade or buyout.
It is unclear what “value” Russell is worth around the league, but the sense is that it’s not very high.
The Miami Heat make a lot of sense here for Russell. They are looking for players on cheap deals to fill out their roster, and Russell would fit great off the bench.
D’Angelo Russell 2025-26 stats (DAL): 10.2/2.3/4.0 on 40/29/71 shooting splits.
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