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Although the deal has not yet been made official, sources tell cleveland.com that the Cavaliers are working through the proper steps to get Hezonja released from his Real Madrid pact and there is no concern about the agreed-to deal being in jeopardy. Cleveland’s expectation is Hezonja will be in the team’s every-night rotation, providing much-needed frontcourt depth after the team lost versatile forward Dean Wade to the Sixers in free agency.
His contradictions, his comings and goings, are as numerous as the journalists he's stuck with at X. The same journalists with whom he forces jokes and empathy at the slightest opportunity. "He's not a bad guy," say those who have been around him these past years on a team where, nevertheless, he leaves a sense of relief. Not enemies, but a caring teammate with a few anonymous gestures that compensated for his verbal excesses and some bad behavior, his mood swings and his egocentrism. Curiously, he will also be a relief, in sporting terms, for Pedro Martínez and his frenetic basketball system: the Croatian's talent doesn't exactly operate at the thousand revolutions per minute that the Catalan coach demands. And adapting him, as he will have to do with Tavares , will not be an easy task. Beyond the personalities of both players and the 'welcome' he gave him when Scariolo 's departure was announced .
One of the most bizarre episodes of this whole saga that has been Hezonja's four seasons in white lies in how Madrid convinced him to renew. That June day, at the Filandón restaurant, the player was having lunch with some of the club's board members. They were trying to make him understand the tax issues hidden in Barça's offer in order to propose something better. Right in the middle of the meal, the police burst into the restaurant. A shooting had occurred on the nearby Pardo road (in which Begoña Villacís 's brother was killed ), and police were searching for the fugitives, so no one could leave the premises for quite some time. During this time, both parties finalized the extension of a contract that, ultimately, will not be honored.
One source close to the process told The Stein Line that Cleveland is "working through" the requisite steps to secure the needed FIBA Letter of Clearance from Real Madrid to officially sign Hezonja as a free agent. The Spanish giants are said to have pushed back on setting Hezonja free because he didn't have his next team lined up until July 26. Hezonja's Real Madrid contract featured an NBA out clause — requiring a $1 million payment to the club — that had to be formally exercised by July 20. According to a report in Spanish national sports daily Marca, Real Madrid has proposed retaining Hezonja's EuroLeague rights in exchange for letting him go to the NBA, thus ensuring that it would be able to re-sign Hezonja in the event that the 31-year-old leaves the NBA for a second time.
Kevin O'Connor: Mario Hezonja shot 38.4% on catch-and-shoot 3s in his 4 years with Real Madrid. It’s a big leap from early in his career. He made just 31.9% of total 3s in the NBA. If his improvement translates, he can be an additive piece for the Cavaliers.
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Shams Charania: EuroLeague star Mario Hezonja has agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management told ESPN.
Sergio Llull will continue his historic career with Real Madrid for at least one more season. The club officially announced that the veteran guard has signed a contract extension through the end of the 2026-27 campaign. Llull joined Real Madrid in 2007 and is now set to enter his 20th season with the Spanish powerhouse.
Lonnie Walker could be on the move again just one year after joining Maccabi Tel Aviv. According to Spanish journalist Chema de Lucas, Real Madrid are negotiating a deal to sign the former NBA guard.
Real Madrid are reportedly moving closer to another frontcourt addition ahead of the upcoming season. According to El Espanol, the Spanish powerhouse are set to sign 27-year-old French center Olivier Sarr. Sarr, the older brother of Washington Wizards big man Alex, has spent his entire professional career moving between the NBA and the G League.
League sources maintain that the Cavaliers are among the teams that have registered interest in former No. 5 overall pick Mario Hezonja. The Real Madrid forward has made it clear that he wants to return to the NBA after playing in Europe for the past six seasons and the last four in the Spanish capital. So add Hezonja's name to the list of potential fallback options for Cleveland along with Hawks free agent Jonathan Kuminga. "I think," said one trusted source, "that we're going to see eight or nine players sign right after LeBron makes his choice. Maybe more."
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BasketNews' Donatas Urbonas reported that Hezonja's next team is expected to be in the NBA despite recent speculation in Europe regarding his future. According to BasketNews sources, there is confidence that the Croatian forward fulfilled all the necessary conditions to activate the NBA exit clause in his long-term Real Madrid contract before Monday's deadline, clearing the way for his departure.
Despite reports linking Hezonja with other EuroLeague clubs, BasketNews sources maintain that his future lies in the NBA. Hezonja reportedly rejected offers from three EuroLeague teams to sign conditional contracts that would have become active only if his NBA return ended prematurely. The 31-year-old was confident enough in his ability to establish himself in the league that he viewed such negotiations as unnecessary. Returning to the NBA has been Hezonja's goal for several years, which is why he negotiated an NBA exit clause into his Real Madrid contract.
However, he has not yet received an offer from any franchise nor has he paid the buyout . And that last detail seems crucial. The ACB collective bargaining agreement stipulates that the notification must be made at the same time as the buyout clause is paid, something that hasn't been done . To try and resolve this issue, according to MARCA, Hezonja's representatives have contacted Real Madrid offering to increase the amount to be paid to release the player.
Marc Stein: Latest on former No. 5 overall pick Mario Hezonja per league sources: 🏀 Hezonja indeed expected to rejoin the NBA for the first time since 2019-20. 🏀 Multiple NBA teams have shown interest in the Real Madrid forward. 🏀 List said to include teams also pursuing LeBron James.