After missing on LeBron, Cavaliers agree to deal with EuroLeague star Mario Hezonja

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million deal with 31-year-old Croatian forward Mario Hezonja, a team source confirmed Sunday to The Athletic. The source spoke under the condition of anonymity to discuss a contract that had not been formally announced.

The deal comes just days after LeBron James chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers rather than return to Cleveland, which drafted him No. 1 in 2003.

Hezonja signed his first professional contract, a three-year deal with Spanish club FC Barcelona, in 2012 at the age of 17. Three years later, he was selected by the Orlando Magic as the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He played three seasons with the Magic, his last in 2017-18, when he averaged an NBA career-high 9.6 points and shot 44.2 percent from the field. He started 30 games and played in 75 that season.

After that season, the 6-foot-8 forward signed a one-year deal with the New York Knicks. He averaged 8.8 points and a career-high 4.1 rebounds. Hezonja played his final year in the league with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019-20, appearing in 53 games and starting four.

Following his stint in the NBA, Hezonja played professionally in Greece, Russia and Spain. He averaged a career-best 17.5 points for Real Madrid in the top level of Spanish professional basketball.