Cavaliers' Plan B Exposed! If They Can't Sign James, They'll Pursue Hezonja: Last Season's Spanish League MVP

On July 24, Beijing time, per reports from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, should the Cleveland Cavaliers fall short in their chase for LeBron James, Real Madrid's Mario Hezonja is among their alternative plans. Sources say Hezonja is on the Cavs' list of backup targets, alongside Atlanta Hawks free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

The 31-year-old forward was the 5th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, playing five seasons in the league with the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, and Portland Trail Blazers. His NBA career averages are 6.9 points per game on 41.7% shooting from the field and 31.9% from three-point range.

Hezonja has achieved more after moving to the overseas stage. He helped Real Madrid win the 2023 EuroLeague championship and then captured the Spanish domestic league titles in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. This season, Hezonja averaged 17.5 points and 4.9 rebounds, earning the Spanish League MVP award.

Obviously, there is a huge gap between Hezonja's resume and James's level. However, due to the Cavaliers' tight salary cap, almost any alternative target to replace James would face such a disparity.

The Cavaliers also need to re-sign Harden. If they don't clear salary, they can't even use the $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level exception. ESPN reporter Windhorst also analyzed the difficulties of a sign-and-trade: once a sign-and-trade is used, the team's salary will be locked under the first apron of the luxury tax hard cap.

If the Cavaliers' most important external acquisition of the offseason ends up being just Hezonja, Cavs fans will inevitably be disappointed.

However, unless they can successfully recruit James to return, the Cavaliers' front office would have found it difficult to overhaul the roster through free agency anyway. The team has a large amount of salary already tied up in Mitchell, Mobley, Allen, and likely Harden in the future. With the Cavaliers having very limited maneuverable assets, Hezonja's price fits perfectly within the team's budget range.