Could Mario Hezonja return to NBA? Multiple teams reportedly interested.
And there is interest from several NBA teams, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
Hezonja, 30, spent five seasons in the NBA after being drafted by the Magic, but the 6'8" forward's game never rounded out as hoped. He didn't space the floor well from 3, and his offense was more straight-line drives than anything else.
That growth in his game may have come in Europe. He shot 39.2% from 3 last season for Real Madrid, averaging 13.6 points and 4.9 assists a game this past season. Hezonja also averaged 30.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a couple of steals a game for Croatia in the 2025 EuroBasket qualifiers (Croatia did not make the cut).
It's something to watch. Hezonja's NBA buyout clause is for around $850,000, Urbonas reports, which is about the going rate for an NBA buyout in Europe.
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John Hollinger of The Athletic noted that teams "had budgeted for another 10% raise, but now must change their projections downward for the luxury tax and aprons by roughly $5 million apiece." The league's new national TV deals should still send the salary cap, luxury tax and aprons soaring over the coming years, but ongoing disruption with regional sports networks is cutting into the NBA's projected revenue. Teams have to factor those variables in while plotting their long-term strategy, as the second-apron restrictions have proven to be no joke. "I think the second-apron basketball penalties are real, and I'm not sure I understood how real until they were staring me in the face in the last month," Celtics president Brad Stevens told reporters after the first round of the 2025 NBA draft in June. "So I do think that that can't be overstated." The Celtics won't be the last team to feel the wrath of the second apron. The Cavaliers' day of reckoning is fast approaching, and the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder could eventually join them in the years to come. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
