Mario Hezonja is making his return to the NBA after a five-year absence, signing a one-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to a report from ESPN on Sunday.
The 31-year-old Croatian forward, who was selected fifth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, will earn a reported $2.8 million on the deal.
Since departing the NBA, Hezonja spent six seasons competing in the EuroLeague, including the last four years with Real Madrid, where his game reached new heights. He was part of the Real Madrid squad that captured the EuroLeague championship in 2023. Most recently, he was named MVP of Liga ACB for the 2025-26 season, during which he put up averages of 17.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Cleveland was not the only team interested in bringing Hezonja back to American professional basketball. The Golden State Warriors were also reportedly in pursuit of the former lottery pick, but the Cavaliers ultimately landed him as they look to build on last season’s deep playoff run, which took them to the Eastern Conference Finals — their first conference final appearance since 2018.
Hezonja’s last NBA action came during the 2019-20 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Before that, he suited up for the Orlando Magic from 2015 to 2018 and the New York Knicks during the 2018-19 season. Across 330 career NBA games, including 69 starts, he averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per contest while shooting 41.7% from the floor and 31.9% from three-point range.
