Could Mario Hezonja return to NBA? Multiple teams reportedly interested.
The last time we saw Mario Hezonja on an NBA court was in the bubble, when the former No. 5 pick was coming off the bench for the Trail Blazers. Since then, he has been in Europe playing in Greece and Russia before spending the past few seasons with Real Madrid. Just last summer he inked a five-year contract with the Spanish powerhouse, but the contract has an NBA out clause.
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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