Mario Hezonja’s agreed one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers faces delays as Real Madrid disputes his NBA exit clause deadline. Despite the contractual pushback, Cleveland is working to finalize the acquisition of the Croatian forward, who seeks a return to the NBA after a successful EuroLeague career.
While Mario Hezonja and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed on a deal on July 26, it hasn’t been made official yet and apparently there is a reason for that.
According to Marc Stein, Real Madrid have pushed back on releasing Hezonja, since he did not have an NBA team lined up until July 26, while his NBA out was until July 20.
Despite this issue Cleveland is working through the needed steps to acquire the Croatian forward, a source close to the process tells Stein.
The Cavaliers and Hezonja agreed to sign a one-year, $2.8 million deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. He offers size, scoring and experience for Cleveland following their failed pursuit of LeBron James.
Mario Hezonja
Credit ZUMAPRESS.com – Scanpix
Hezonja preparing for second NBA stint
Hezonja made an NBA return his priority after spending six consecutive seasons in Europe, including the past four with Real Madrid.
According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, he had fulfilled the necessary conditions to activate the NBA exit clause in his long-term Real Madrid contract before the deadline, clearing the way for a departure.
The 31-year-old was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
He appeared in 330 games during his first NBA stint, representing the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers while averaging 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per contest.
Hezonja later rebuilt his career in Europe with Panathinaikos, UNICS Kazan and Real Madrid, establishing himself as one of the EuroLeague’s most prominent forwards.
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