Former No. 5 total decide Mario Hezonja is drawing “critical curiosity” from NBA groups as he contemplates a transfer away from Spanish EuroLeague membership Actual Madrid, reviews Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
Though Hezonja signed a five-year contract with Actual Madrid final summer time, his deal accommodates an NBA out clause within the vary of $850,000, based on Urbonas’ sources, which is the usual for worldwide gamers crossing the Atlantic.
In response to Urbonas, “a number of” NBA groups are conserving an in depth eye on Hezonja’s state of affairs after a stable three-year stint with Actual Madrid. The 30-year-old, who performed for Panathinaikos (Greece) and UNICS (Russia) from 2020-22, additionally put up big numbers throughout EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers, averaging 30.3 factors, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a pair of.0 steals per sport, RealGM notes, although Croatia did not qualify for the primary time within the match’s historical past.
A 6’8″ ahead, Hezonja by no means lived as much as his lofty draft standing as a younger participant within the NBA — his stints with Orlando, New York and Portland have been suffering from inconsistency in a number of areas. However he did have occasional moments of brilliance, significantly on straight line drives when he may showcase his run-and-jump athleticism, and the outlines of a 3-and-D position participant have been definitely evident.
Extra importantly, Hezonja has been one of many higher gamers in Europe over the previous 5 years, and there’s a “actual chance” he may return to the NBA as he weighs his choices this offseason, sources inform Urbonas.
Whereas he by no means performed for the Grizzlies, Hezonja was technically paid by Memphis in the course of the 2020/21 season, having been waived earlier than that marketing campaign started.
