When it comes to European talent, there is always the matter of dealing with their parent team. It’s not just the player you got to negotiate with. There’s also the team they play for, most of the time it’s easy, like the subject of this story, but it can be an ongoing battle such as the 76ers and Dario Saric.
Lucky for the Orlando Magic, it’s all good with Mario Hezonja, as him and FC Barcelona reach a buyout.
The Magic hadn’t selected a foreign player in the lottery portion of the draft since they picked big man Fran Vázquez 11th overall in 2005. But Vázquez chose not to play in the NBA, and the Vázquez episode created concerns among some Magic fans about the team drafting another European.
The buyout agreement allows Hezonja to sign with the Magic immediately and play during the 2015-16 season.
See? I wasn’t joking about the potential battle. The San Antonio Spurs make getting international players look like a walk in the park, but Orlando have a great shooter that will do well for them on day 1.
To be honest, I think the Magic are a Playoff team on paper, will they make it a reality?
