NBA Free Agency: Could Mario Hezonja be a bargain pickup for the Bucks?
By Adam McGee
Salary
The Magic haven’t got the greatest track record of making good decisions in recent years, and their move to decline Hezonja’s team option prior to the start of the 2017-18 season stands out as just one of many examples along those lines.
Hezonja had struggled in his first couple of years in the NBA, yet considering the Magic’s lack of top-end young talent and the dysfunctional environment they’d provided him, opting against retaining Hezonja through to the end of his rookie contract at the very least was a bold decision.
As Hezonja finally showed signs of hitting his stride and produced multiple impactful games over the course of the season, it seems safe to say that decision backfired.
Rather than retaining Hezonja at $5.2 million for one more year and controlling his rights into his next contract, the Magic’s former fifth overall pick will hit free agency early with Orlando permitted to offer no more than the option amount they previously declined.
Whether either side is interested in extending their relationship under those circumstances remains to be seen, but it does set a potential baseline price for the Croatian’s services.
If his value proves to be in that kind of range or above, Hezonja may fetch a deal for a significant percentage of the mid-level exception, which isn’t a particularly high price to pay for a look at a 23-year-old with apparently untapped potential.
Saying that, with a market that promises to be restricted due to the lack of cap space, Hezonja may even be attainable for a non-tax paying team at the bi-annual exception (i.e. approx. $3.4 million) or maybe even a veteran minimum.
Hezonja’s age and skill will likely see a team take a gamble on him at more than the minimum, but regardless, there’s certainly an avenue to the Dubrovnik native being available at an appealing price.