NBA rumors have cooled off as the league awaits a decision from LeBron James, but there was one piece of news that came out in the meantime. Former fifth-overall pick Mario Hezonja is planning to make an NBA comeback this offseason.
Hezonja has played internationally since the 2020-21 season, continuing to improve each season. Last year, at the age of 31, he averaged over 17 points a game for Real Madrid.
Multiple teams are expected to be interested in Hezonja, including multiple that are currently pursuing LeBron. Let’s take a look at three potential suitors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked to multiple forwards during this free agency period. Plan A is obviously LeBron. Plan B seems to be Jonathan Kuminga. Could Hezonja be Plan C?
He wouldn’t be the sure-fire impact player they have been targeting, but Hezonja would provide them with solid depth. After those two, he may be one of the best options they have on the free agency market.
The Miami Heat should be all over Hezonja if they miss out on LeBron. He’s the exact type of minimum-contract level guy that they need to be targeting.
He has incredible upside and could turn out to be one of their better players off the bench if his game translates. If it doesn’t, there’s no risk and they can just cut ties.
An important note for Miami: Hezonja has improved his 3pt% when playing international ball. He attempted more than five threes a game and shot 36%.
The New York Knicks reuniting with Hezonja makes sense on a few levels. Most importantly, they need forward depth off the bench. Their flexibility is very limited at this point, giving them just minimum contracts to work with. Also, from Hezonja’s side, wouldn’t you want to make a return to the NBA for the reigning champions and a place you’ve already played?
For more candidates to fill out their roster, check out our Knicks rumors article.
Hezonja enters the free agency pool as one of the highest upside signings a team could make at this point. It would be a minimum contract for someone who could be a reliable rotational forward. These three teams would benefit from the addition of Hezonja, especially if some of them miss out on LeBron or Kuminga.
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