Hezonja limbo hits a week, and Cleveland's forward depth chart still has a hole where the answer was supposed to go

The roadblock that surfaced July 28 is now a week old, and Mario Hezonja remains unsigned. This is the seventh note I've filed on a deal that was announced as done. It has not been done.

The underlying need hasn't changed. Dean Wade averaged 5.7 points per game last season as the starting forward, and Nae'Qwan Tomlin is the only other forward who logged meaningful minutes. That depth chart was thin before Hezonja was identified as the fix, and it is still thin now. Every day this drags on is a day Cleveland's most glaring roster hole goes unaddressed.

What's changed is the calendar pressure. Training camp is no longer an abstraction. If Hezonja eventually clears whatever is holding this up, he arrives with less runway to get comfortable alongside Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen before the season begins. A forward coming back to the NBA after years in the EuroLeague needs reps, not a sprint to opening night.

Nothing has broken loose since yesterday. The deal is still described as stuck. At this point the story isn't whether Cleveland wants Hezonja — they clearly do — it's whether the complications resolve in time for the signing to actually matter.