New York Knicks: 3 reasons Mario Hezonja was a good pickup

The New York Knicks and Mario Hezjona agreed to a one-year deal in free agency. Here are three reasons he was a good pickup for New York.

The New York Knicks came into the 2018 NBA offseason without much room for maneuvering. They were essentially capped out, having only the mid-level exception, two-way deals and minimum contracts to hand out.

As a result, the Knicks went bargain shopping in free agency. They looked for players that fell out of favor with their old teams, or players who did not live up to expectations of being a high draft pick. One of those players was Mario Hezonja.

New York signed Hezonja to a one-year, $6.5 million deal, using part of their mid-level exception. Hezonja was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He was selected one spot after Kristaps Porzingis was selected by the Knicks.

The 23-year-old Croatian never lived up to the hype with the Magic. He was never able to get into a groove, as he played for two different head coaches and struggled to find a consistent role with Orlando. The Magic declined his fourth-year option, which made him an unrestricted free agent this past summer.

One man’s trash could be another man’s treasure. The Knicks are certainly hoping that old adage rings true in regards to Hezonja, and he should receive plenty of opportunities to show that the Knicks were right to have confidence in him.

While his NBA career has not yet lived up to the hype, Hezonja and the Knicks were a good match in free agency. Here are three reasons that the signing of Hezonja was a good one for New York.