The Cavaliers have their starting five lined up, and it’s a group built to scare people: James Harden and Peyton Watson join Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to form what should be one of the NBA’s best first units.
The bigger question is what comes after that. Cleveland lost a pile of dependable depth, with Max Strus, Dean Wade, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder all gone. That leaves real minutes to sort out, and right now the bench picture is a lot murkier than the starting one.
Sam Merrill is expected to be in the mix for major run, and Jaylon Tyson has already earned a look. But another name deserves attention early on: Mario Hezonja.
On paper, Hezonja’s return to the NBA does not look like a loud statement of faith. He’s a former draft bust who signed a non-guaranteed minimum deal with the Cavaliers. That’s hardly a guarantee of anything.
Still, his overseas production says there’s more here than the contract suggests. Hezonja has spent the last several seasons with Real Madrid, one of the top clubs in La Liga, and last year he finished third in the league in scoring while helping lead a strong Madrid team.
That production has come with plenty of winning, too. Hezonja helped Real Madrid capture La Liga titles in two of the last three seasons, earned First Team All-Liga honors in each of the last two years, and was named league MVP this past season after his all-around play stood out.
His impact hasn’t been limited to club basketball. Hezonja was also the focal point of a strong Croatian offense in FIBA World Cup qualifying over the past year. He ranked second among all European players in points per game on the best offense in Europe, and Croatia finished tied with Germany at the top of its group.
That background hints at why he fits the Cavaliers’ search for depth. At 6-foot-9, Hezonja has the size to play forward, but he operates more like a guard, bringing the ball up and starting the offense. NBA pressure is a different animal than La Liga or FIBA play, but that kind of comfort on the ball could help Cleveland in lineups where Donovan Mitchell is the smallest player and doesn’t have to handle every initiation duty.
That’s why Hezonja should get the first crack at backup forward minutes and a path into the full rotation. He may not stick.
He may turn out to be another NBA misfire. But the upside is obvious enough to justify the gamble: a playmaking power forward who can shoot, score, pass and rebound.
If he brings even a slice of that international version with him, the Cavaliers may have found exactly the kind of player their rotation needs.
Nae'Kwon Tomlin is there as a steady option if Kenny Atkinson wants to go another direction, but Hezonja’s skill set and ceiling make him the one worth testing first.
In Other News...
Bulls Miss Reshaped The Central Race Around The Cavs
Chicagos offseason chatter briefly suggested the Bulls might swing big in the middle of the Eastern Conference race, but the reality was always a little more restrained. Reports now indicate the clubs interest in Bennedict Mathurin was overstated, and the Bulls were never willing to put down the kind of multiyear guarantee that matched the two-year deal Mathurin ultimately took with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jonathan Kuminga was the more serious target, but even there the limits were clear. Chicago was not prepared to promise him a regular starting role, and that left the door open for Kuminga to choose the Minnesota Timberwolves instead. It is the kind of near-miss that can reshape the pecking order around the Cavs, where every rivals hesitation matters almost as much as its aggression. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Face An Early Roster Decision That Could Shape Flexibility
The Cavaliers are already staring at one of those quiet roster deadlines that can matter just as much as a splashy move. Mario Hezonja and Craig Porter Jr. each have upcoming guarantee dates on their deals, giving Cleveland a built-in window to decide whether to keep both players locked in for the season or use the opening to preserve flexibility as the year unfolds.
Hezonjas date arrives in mid-November, creating an early fork in the road for a front office that tends to keep an eye on every bit of roster and salary-cap maneuvering. Porters guarantee date comes later in January, which gives the Cavs a little more time to weigh the picture, but also means the decisions around both players could linger as Cleveland tries to balance present depth with future flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Two-Way Battle Could Create An Unexpected Rotation Push
The Cavaliers two-way situation has quietly become one of the more interesting small stories of the preseason, with Riley Minix, Tristan Enaruna and rookie Ernest Udeh Jr. all trying to carve out a path. Minix and Enaruna have both put together strong showings in the G-League, even if that production has not yet translated into much NBA impact, while Udeh brings a different appeal as a big man whose size, rebounding and shot-blocking give him a clearer lane to help if he can keep developing.
Cleveland still has room to sort through how it wants to use those spots, and that leaves some uncertainty hanging over the group as camp moves along. Udeh is expected to get chances in the preseason to show he can be more than a long-term project, while the rest of the battle may come down to whether the Cavaliers want to keep their current mix intact or make a change as they finalize the last two-way opening. [Read more 🡒]