Former NBA player Mario Hezonja has not played in the league since the 2019-20 season. Since then, Hezonja has continued his basketball career in Europe. However, there have been rumors that the former top-five pick of the Orlando Magic has gained interest from teams on the other side of the planet.
BasketNews.com reported on Sunday that the 30-year-old forward has started evaluating his future. However, the Croatian player signed a five-year contract extension with his EuroLeague team, Real Madrid.
Luckily for teams, his contract has an NBA out clause. The clause is in the range of $850k, which is the standard for international players leaving the continent, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reported.
Mario Hezonja
Orlando Magic guard Mario Hezonja controls the ball against the Golden State Warriors.
Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
The report did not specify which teams have taken an interest in signing the European forward. However, several teams have kept tabs on Hezonja.
"According to sources, the 30-year-old Croatian forward is evaluating his market options, with renewed interest coming from NBA teams," BasketNews.com reported.
In the EuroLeague, he's averaging 14.9 points and 5.3 rebounds during the regular season. He played better during the playoffs. Hezonja posted 17.5 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Hezonja also played for Panathinaikos and UNICS Kazan following his NBA exit in 2020.
The 6-foot-9 forward was a promising young star when he was drafted by the Magic in 2015. However, he never turned out to be a star. Still, he remained with the organization that drafted him for three years. During that stretch, he was a serviceable role player on the offensive end.
He averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds with the Magic. In 2018, he signed a one-year deal with the New York Knicks and appeared in 58 games. He joined the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019 and was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020.
However, Hezonja never played for the Grizzlies and was waived in December.