The Cleveland Cavs recently made headlines by signing NBA vet Mario Hezonja to a new contract. The news comes just days after the Cavs found out they had missed on bringing back franchise legend LeBron James in free agency, as the hometown kid had chosen to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now, more information has come to light on why the Hezonja signing has not yet been finalized.
“Cleveland has yet to formally sign Mario Hezonja but is ‘working through’ the needed steps, one source close to the process tells @TheSteinLine, to make the deal official. Hezonja and the Cavaliers agreed to a one-year minimum deal Sunday after LeBron James chose Philadelphia,” reported NBA insider Marc Stein on X, formerly Twitter.
At this point, it’s unclear what exactly those “needed steps” are specifically, but there doesn’t seem to be any doubt that the deal will eventually get done.
Hezonja spent several years in the NBA, playing on teams like the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, and others, establishing himself as a reliable wing scorer and creator in the process. He has spent the last few years playing overseas, but clearly, NBA teams have been keeping tabs on him and feel that he’s still ready to compete at the highest level back in the States.
As far as consolation prizes for missing out on James go, the Cavs could have done worse than bringing in Hezonja, and they are also still being tied to Jonathan Kuminga in free agency as well. In any case, the Cavs’ schedule for the upcoming season is expected to be released at some point next month.