By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Mario Hezonja’s European summers were always complicated, and this is no exception.
Hezonja informed in the 11th hour that he is using his NBA buyout clause; according to the Spanish newspaper “Marca,” the proper procedure wasn’t followed, and for the moment one thing is for sure: There’s no NBA deal in place, and as reported by Marc Stein, the Cleveland Cavaliers are among Hezonja’s main suitors depending on what may happen with LeBron James.
Without an NBA deal in place, the use of the NBA buyout clause in Hezonja’s contract is debatable, since the clause can’t be used from his side if he signs in any other league.
At this point, it’s clear that Hezonja is aiming for an NBA chance, despite strong interest from EuroLeague teams.
This led to the assumption that Hezonja’s agents may find an NBA team that will accommodate him with a small deal, a two-way contract, or an Exhibit 10 contract, which is essentially a non-guaranteed minimum deal.
With such a contract in place, Hezonja could, in theory, be cut by the NBA just in time for the start of the EuroLeague season and sign elsewhere.
However, according to sources from the US league, this is not as easy as it seems. The NBA would not permit any franchise to do such a move, which can damage the image of the league, especially with the NBA Europe project in full swing.
Such a move may result in an investigation and a hefty fine, which would complicate things even further. So Hezonja may end up signing a minimum deal, and he may get cut, but this is not something that may also happen mid-season at best.
On the other hand, it has to be noted that while Real Madrid is not happy with the way Hezonja’s side handles things, there will be legal ground to pursue any kind of compensation if the player ends up in Europe sooner rather than later.
Still, many sources with knowledge of the situation insist that new coach Pedro Martinez is not unhappy with the way things are turning out.
So there is more than one contradiction in this case, which can be solved without much drama, only with a proper NBA contract.
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