Zach Edey is taking his 7-foot-4 frame to Memphis to start his NBA career.
Edey, the former Purdue center who became the first player in more than 40 years to win The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball player of the year award in back-to-back seasons, was taken by the Grizzlies with the ninth pick Wednesday night in the NBA draft.
“Zach Edey is a particularly special fit (for the franchise),” Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said after the draft's first round. “In getting to know him, we are talking about someone whose competitiveness is through the roof, care factor is through the roof. No ego, just wants to win.”
And so begins the process of seeing how his game translates to the next level. Edey will be one of the tallest players in the NBA this coming season; in 2023-24, only San Antonio's rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, Houston's Boban Marjanovic and Phoenix's Bol Bol were listed at 7-foot-3 or taller.
Edey averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds as a junior, then 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds during a senior season in which he led Purdue to the NCAA title game against Connecticut. The steady growth in his game was part of Memphis' attraction to his potential.
“This is a dream come true,” Edey said in a statement issued by Purdue. “Memphis has such a great core, and I am really excited to get down there and work."
The Grizzlies finished 27-55 last season in a campaign marred by injuries to key players such as Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, along with reserves Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke. The Grizzlies dressed 33 different players during the season, and the results were a far cry from the previous two seasons when Memphis made the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Edey is one of only six players to have won the AP player of the year award, which dates to the 1960-61 season, on multiple occasions. The others: Ohio State’s Jerry Lucas, UCLA’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, North Carolina State’s David Thompson and Virginia’s Ralph Sampson. Lucas, Abdul-Jabbar, Walton, Thompson and Edey were all two-time winners; Sampson was a three-time AP award winner.
“We could not be more thrilled to land him in this draft,” Kleiman said. “Let's just say, this is exactly what we were hoping would happen.”
That is contrary to some reports and expectations that the Grizzlies actually were looking to move up from the ninth pick and target UConn big man Donovan Clingan.
Asked if the team was initially focused on Clingan — taken by Portland with the seventh pick, Kleiman replied: “I haven't seen that reported anywhere.” Pressed further about moving up, he said: I'm saying this is how we wanted the draft to play out."
Kleiman said he believes there are misconceptions about Edey's defense. The center was such a force for the Boilermakers that he was told to avoid fouling. He said Edey will be allowed to be more aggressive in the NBA. Edey will be the anchor in drop coverage and benefit from having Jaren Jackson Jr., a former Defensive Player of the Year, beside him on the front line.
“We have options now,” Kleiman said. “... In our frontcourt now, there's a lot of different ways we can play.”
He later added: “We now have — from a size standpoint; from a physicality standpoint — that's something that other teams are going to have to grapple with. We want to have looks that we can throw out there that give us the advantage. Let them figure out how to deal with us."
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
FILE - Purdue's Zach Edey (15) shoots over Indiana's Kel'el Ware during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Jan. 16, 2024, in Bloomington, Ind. Edey is among the headliners of the big men in the upcoming NBA draft.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals were active Saturday during draft rounds 2-7, each making multiple moves to shake up their rosters for next season and beyond.
Tampa Bay sent two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and depth forward Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles in moves that cleared more than $11 million in salary cap space. That could be enough money to keep captain and face of the franchise Steven Stamkos or make a significant free agent signing, and it will go a long way to providing room to lock up cornerstone defenseman Victor Hedman with a long-term contract extension.
The Lightning got younger on the blue line by receiving 24-year-old defenseman J.J. Moser, along with forward prospect Conor Geekie and two draft picks for Sergachev, who was signed through 2031 making $8.5 million annually. A 2025 second-rounder and a fourth this year allows Tampa Bay to restock its prospect pool after making eight consecutive playoff appearances, winning two titles and reaching the final three times.
That contending window remains wide open, and general manage Julien BriseBois now has flexibility to retool on the fly with free agency opening Monday. Stamkos staying is a possibility, and now the Lightning have the opportunity to pursue one or more of the top wingers available, a group that includes Jake Guentzel, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Marchessault.
The Capitals already did their big-name hunting last week by acquiring highly paid center Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Kings for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. On Saturday, they filled that void in net by acquiring Logan Thompson from host Vegas for a pair of third-round picks.
Thompson figures to split time with Charlie Lindgren in a tandem costing less than $2 million total next season, with a year left on each goalie's contract. Thompson, 27, was an All-Star and played 37 games for the Golden Knights during their 2022-23 Cup run before getting injured before the playoffs.
Long before getting his name engraved on the trophy, Thompson got his first foray into the NHL Capitals development camp in the summer of 2018 in the aftermath of their championship celebration. He played for Washington at back-to-back prospect showcases, went to training camp with the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears in 2019, starred for the ECHL's South Carolina and earned his first contract as a result.
“I’m thankful for the Washington goalie department every day," Thompson told The Associated Press at 2023 All-Star Weekend. "They’re the reason why I’m here. They’re the only team that gave me a chance three years ago. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Washington also traded fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn to Buffalo for the 43rd pick, taking U.S.-born defenseman Cole Hutson, and traded up in the third round to select Ilya Protas, the younger brother of Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas. Malenstyn, 26, is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who had 21 points in 81 games during his first full NHL season and gives the Sabres Buffalo valuable forward depth as they try to end the league’s longest playoff drought.
Among the other moves, St. Louis traded Kevin Hayes and a '25 second-rounder to Pittsburgh for future considerations to shed the remainder of the his contract, and Boston sent Jakob Lauko to Minnesota for Vinni Lettieri in a swap of centers that also involved draft picks.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev hoists the Stanley Cup while riding on a boat with goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, right, during the NHL hockey Stanley Cup champions' Boat Parade, Monday, July 12, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. The Utah Hockey Club made a big splash at its first draft, acquiring two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) plays during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. The Utah Hockey Club made a big splash at its first draft, acquiring Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Beck Malenstyn (47) in action during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Monday, April 15, 2024, in Washington. The Buffalo Sabres and theCapitals got a head start on Day Two of the NHL draft by making a trade before any selections were made. The Sabres got fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn from the Capitals for the 43rd pick. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson defends his net against the Dallas Stars during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The Washington Capitals acquired goaltender Logan Thompson from Vegas and sent fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn to Buffalo. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Tanner Jeannot (84) shoots during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. The Lightning sent two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and depth forward Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles in moves that cleared more than $11 million in salary cap space. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
