Former Cavs Forward Is Taking Mario Hezonja’s Spot With Real Madrid

The offseason for the Cavs has seen them re-sign Thomas Bryant. Meleek Thomas joined them via the NBA Draft back in late June. Of course, Larry Nance Jr. was one of the three players to walk in free agency, joining the Indiana Pacers on a one-year deal.

Additionally, Keon Ellis got his mini payday from the Nets, courtesy of a 2-year deal worth $18 million. He projects to play a much larger role than he could have in Cleveland. The other was Dean Wade joining Philly on a four-year deal worth $39 million. Call it Sam Merrill money.

Nets will surprise some people https://t.co/mFCwbrtO6N pic.twitter.com/3Y2D2CYIT3
— Across The Cavs (@AcrossCavs) August 15, 2026

The other thing they obviously did was bring in Mario Hezonja from Real Madrid. Read on for an interesting tidbit tying those clubs together.

Hezonja Made His Choice Clear

It was discovered shortly after Mario Hezonja did in fact sign with the Cavs that the team had been scouting him for the last few years. The move to add him this summer was not done on a whim or just off a little research. It’s been a long-time coming for the former five-year NBA forward.

Now 31 years of age, Hezonja is doing what Guerschon Yabusele did for the previous two seasons. An NBA stint, a long-run in Europe, then renewed interest comes along and now we suddenly see him stateside once again. The other tidbit mentioned above though, is a former Cavs forward is actually joining Real Madrid.

You can almost look at it as an even 1-for-1 swap.

Olivier Sarr Taking His Talents Overseas

The older brother of 2024 #2 overall pick Alex Sarr has spent five years in the NBA. Olivier Sarr, now 27, was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization for a few years. He had a successful run with the Cleveland Charge last year following a torn ACL in the G-League Finals two years earlier After that, the Cavs inked him to a two-way deal.

Looking at the numbers, the small Sarr sample size was actually rather impressive. 3.5 points per game on 71% shooting across 37 minutes. The big man also grabbed 11 rebounds, dishes out five assists, and blocked three shots. Not all squads can find value from two-way guys, but this was a strong showing.

The big man is going to be taking his talents to Real Madrid after signing a two-year deal to join the club. This will be the first time that the 27-year-old is playing outside of the NBA/G-League since first joining six years ago.

A Quick Swap

Olivier Sarr played briefly for the Cavs. Mario Hezonja is on his way there. In his place, Sarr is going to be suiting up for Real Madrid. Max Shulga, who spent time with the Celtics last year, will join the Frenchman in Spain next year.

Real Madrid is already loaded with NBA talent, and just got a little bit richer. They’ll certainly be a team to follow last year. Hezonja, the former EuroLeague MVP, will certainly be missed though.

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