Grizzlies waive former fifth overall pick Mario Hezonja

The Grizzlies are waiving veteran forward Mario Hezonja, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Hezonja, 25, averaged 4.8 PPG and 3.5 RPG on .422/.308/.814 shooting in 53 games (16.4 MPG) for Portland last season. After he exercised his minimum-salary player option for 2020-21, he was sent to Memphis in a three-team trade that saw the Trail Blazers acquire Enes Kanter.

The Grizzlies were carrying 17 players with guaranteed contracts into training camp, leaving Hezonja and Marko Guduric as the likely odd men out for the regular season. Neither player was in camp with the club.

Hezonja hasn’t developed into a reliable and productive rotation player since being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft, but being cut by the Grizzlies is unlikely to be the end of the line for his NBA career. According to Charania, multiple teams are expected to express interest in the Croatian once he clears waivers and training camp ends.