Signed, sealed! Officially joining the Cavaliers! Spanish League MVP partners with Harden.

What to do when you can't get LeBron? The Cavaliers signed Mario Hezonja to a one-year, $2.8 million deal.

This guy, born on February 25, 1995, is a forward standing 2.03m tall with a 2.08m wingspan, and was the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft.

In his past NBA career, Hezonja played for the Magic, Knicks, and Trail Blazers. His stats are as follows:

In the regular season, he averaged 18.5 minutes, 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, with shooting percentages of 41.7%, 31.9%, and 81.2% from the field, three-point, and free-throw lines respectively.

In the playoffs, he averaged 13.6 minutes, 4.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, with shooting percentages of 40.9%, 28.6%, and 75%.

Hezonja's last NBA appearance dates back to the 2019-20 season. Last season, he played for Real Madrid in the Spanish League, averaging 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, and was named MVP. This summer, he received offers from the Cavaliers and the Warriors, and ultimately, as mentioned, chose to bring his talents to Cleveland.

The Cavaliers finished last season with a 52-30 record, ranking fourth in the East, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs. The Warriors ended last season with a 37-45 record, placing tenth in the West, failing to emerge from the play-in tournament and thus missing the playoffs this year.

Since both were offering minimum contracts, it was natural to choose a playoff-caliber team.

For the Cavaliers, the top priority is to begin contract extension negotiations with Harden. Previously, he declined to exercise his $42.31 million player option for the 2026-27 season, entering free agency early in order to help the team free up salary cap space to pursue LeBron, but unfortunately that did not work out.

Midway through last season, Harden was traded from the Clippers to the Cavaliers. In the regular season, he played 26 games for his new team, averaging 33.8 minutes, 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists, with shooting percentages of 46.6% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range. In this year's playoffs, he averaged 37.3 minutes, 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals, with shooting percentages of 41% from the field and 29.9% from three.

Harden will turn 38 this August, so it's easy to imagine that this upcoming new contract will be the last one of his NBA career.