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The Portland Trail Blazers chased free agent Mario Hezonja in free agency but ended up losing him to the New York Knicks. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Hezonja earned a one-year, $6.5 million contract from New York.
The Knicks and Hezonja close out a tough recruitment, where several teams -- including Portland, Sacramento and Memphis -- competed for a fifth overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft. Hezonja was drawn to coach David Fizdale, after going thru several coaching changes in Orlando.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018
For Hezonja and KNICKS, it's a one-year, $6.5M deal, sources tell ESPN. He'll have a real opportunity to create some traction for his career with the Knicks. https://t.co/hLe6jPXwaI
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018
Hezonja, a 6’8 small forward, averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds for the Orlando Magic last season, his third after being drafted 5th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
In a moment of unintentional comedy, Wojnarowski roused Blazers fans by erroneously tweeting that Portland had won the bidding for Hezonja’s services. The tweet has since been deleted, but here’s a screenshot of the correction:
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I just felt a disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Blazers fans cried out in joy, then suddenly fell silent.
— David Deckard (@DaveDeckard) July 2, 2018