The cousin. Of the aunt of the brother-in-law of the nephew of the mother-in-law who talks to the brother of the bride of the sister-in-law. That guy knows everything. He’s the ultimate insider.
Ever since Mario Hezonja decided to leave the Old Continent and Real Madrid behind to try his luck once again in the magical world of the NBA, Twitter has been on fire.
Understandably so. Experts on the Croatian star’s real intentions began popping up everywhere, eventually taking over the entire internet. Some were thrilled, others were rattled, a few were practically experiencing ecstasy (with a capital E), and so on.
Of course, there’s one tiny problem here: how exactly can Hezonja be a done deal for Olympiacos and PAOK, have already agreed to join Dubai, who are supposedly offering him a king’s ransom, and yet turn down that king’s ransom because of the Queen- Real Madrid?
Confused? Fair enough, if you don’t spend your days witnessing the endless madness of X.
Here’s the short version: after a full six-year absence, Hezonja is back in the NBA, having signed a supposedly “measly” $2.8 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. That figure is gross, of course, because NBA players have taxes to pay, just like the rest of us.
There’s one crucial detail, though: his contract is non-guaranteed and becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still on Cleveland’s roster after November 15.
Naturally, that little loophole has got plenty of people on our side of the Atlantic licking their lips. They consider it all but certain that, within a month at most, “Super Mario” will be wearing a EuroLeague jersey again.
But is it really that certain?
Erm, not quite. Hezonja appears to be firmly in coach Kenny Atkinson’s plans, with the Cavaliers boss doing exactly the right thing by giving the Croatian forward plenty of playing time during the preseason.
In fact, in both of Cleveland’s preseason games so far, the former Panathinaikos player has logged 17 minutes in each. Those aren’t exactly the numbers you’d expect from someone being kept around solely for garbage time during the regular season- or, worse still, someone supposedly destined to be out of the door in the very near future.
Hezonja was a little… meh in his unofficial debut, putting up five points, five rebounds and three assists. Yesterday, however, against the Orlando Magic, he was outstanding: 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting inside the arc and 2-of-4 from three, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
The most important detail? He finished with the highest plus/minus of any Cavalier at +15, a pretty good indication of just how positively he influenced the team’s performance.
Yes, yes, we get it. It was a preseason game, and it proves absolutely nothing about whether he’ll still be in the NBA for the 2026–27 season. Obviously.
On the other hand, Atkinson hasn’t exactly been shy about praising the Croatian, highlighting how much he appreciates the effort Hezonja puts in every day and describing him as a straightforward guy who always says what’s on his mind.
Look at it purely from a basketball perspective, and Hezonja clearly has a place in Cleveland. With the exception of Peyton Watson, who is comfortably ahead of him in the pecking order, Super Mario simply needs to outperform Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Tristan Enaruna, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Riley Minix for a spot at small forward or power forward.
Not exactly a lineup of players who could have comfortably lined up alongside Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Chris Mullin and Scottie Pippen on the original Dream Team. Right?
If everyone- insiders and outsiders alike, it makes no difference- could put aside their top-secret information about “Hezonja being a done deal and heading back to Europe,” and leave their emotions and wishful thinking out of the equation, the truth would be fairly simple: the 31-year-old forward could turn out to be an absolute steal for the Cavs, especially at the price they got him for.
If – and that’s a big IF- he can keep his head in the game and prevent his personal demons, which have resurfaced from time to time, from messing with his mind, then he could play exactly where he belongs.
At the very highest level.
In reality, it’s Hezonja’s six-year absence from the NBA, along with the things he said after leaving the Portland Trail Blazers in 2020, that make us put away the oversized basket we’d bought for this particular prediction and reach for a much smaller one when it comes to his chances of staying on this side of the Atlantic.
The talent is there. No question.
Cleveland could use him. No question.
And Europe? That’s a story for another day — or, to borrow a title from Stavros Tsiolis’ trilogy about women, Women Who Have Passed Through Here.
For now, Europe can wait.
Super Mario has unfinished business in America.