NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Sacramento Kings

2. Mario Hezonja

While a player like Luc Mbah Moute is far more suited to contribute to winning basketball than Mario Hezonja is at the moment, the Kings need to take shots on guys with some upside. Though his star has fallen significantly since the 2015 Draft, Hezonja is still worth taking a risk on.  When Mario entered the NBA, he was heralded as the Croatian J.R. Smith because of his uncommon mix of brashness, ambitious shot taking and athleticism. Many scouts actually expected a J.R. Smith-like career to be a low end outcome for the Croatian forward. Well, after completing three seasons in the NBA I think it’s safe to say that Hezonja hasn’t lived up to the hype.

It’s still too early to give up on Hezonja though. He’s coming off a solid season in which he showed flashes of the skills that intrigued so many executives and talent evaluators. While poor shooting, ugly shot selection and inept defense defined Mario’s first two seasons, he improved across the board in his third year. Hezonja had the best scoring year of his career in 2018.  His finishing at the rim markedly improved and he took a much higher percentage of his shots within three feet of the basket. That led to a big decrease in the mid-range shots that had made up a high portion of his shot diet earlier in his career. Along with his offensive improvements, the trademark confidence seems to be returning.

Hezonja should be attainable at a reasonable price this summer. The Orlando Magic declined his fourth year option in October after his immensely disappointing first two seasons. That means Hezonja is now unrestricted and the Magic can only offer him a contract at the level of his cap hold (about $5 million). With so few playable wings, Hezonja would be a nice addition to Sacramento.  He’ll almost certainly be available at less than the full MLE. If that is in fact the case, the Kings could throw a two-year offer his way.