Zach Edey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Geriot, Murphy, Edey, Castle

July 12th, 2024 at 10:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dan Geriot is joining the Pelicans as an assistant coach under Willie Green, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets. Geriot spent the past nine years with the Cavaliers. New Orleans’ interest in Geriot was reported earlier this week.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans wing Trey Murphy, who is participating this summer with the Select Team, said that if Zion Williamson can stay healthy, New Orleans will be a serious contender. “You get to see what a generational talent looks like with a healthy team. That’s the biggest thing. We’ve got to be healthy,” Murphy told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “That’s always been our thing for my entire time in New Orleans. If we have a healthy team, I think we can make a deep run.”
Grizzlies lottery pick Zach Edey sat out Friday’s Summer League game against the Kings with a mild ankle sprain, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link). Edey is expected to return to action in Las Vegas at some point.
Spurs lottery pick Stephon Castle has aspirations to be a starting point guard but it probably won’t happen this year with Chris Paul signing with the club. Castle says he’s looking forward to the experience of playing with and learning from the future Hall of Famer. “I’m super happy about that,” Castle told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “To have a guy like that and play alongside him and have him mentor me a bit, it’s going to be fun.”

Grizzlies Sign Zach Edey To Rookie Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey has signed a rookie scale contract with the Grizzlies, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 7’4″ Edey was named National Player of the Year in each of his last two seasons at Purdue. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game this season as the Boilermakers reached the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. His other honors as a senior include All-Big Ten First Team, NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team and NCAA Midwest Region Most Valuable Player.

Despite his college accolades, Edey was originally viewed as questionable to be taken in the lottery because of doubts regarding how well he can adapt to the NBA game. He’ll join a Memphis team that’s in need of size and should give him plenty of playing time right away.

The Canadian center was on the preliminary roster for his country’s Olympic team, but he recently withdrew to concentrate on preparing for his first NBA season.

Assuming Edey received the maximum contract for the ninth pick, he will earn about $5.76MM as a rookie and approximately $26.2MM over the four-year deal. The Grizzlies will hold his third- and fourth-year options.

Western Notes: Edey, Canada, Spurs, Castle, Clippers

June 30th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies selected back-to-back college Player of the Year Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 draft. The 7’4″ center, who is from Toronto, was on the preliminary roster for the Canadian national team, but he decided to withdraw from consideration for the 12-man roster ahead of the team’s training camp as it prepares for the Olympics in Paris next month, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Edey will be prioritizing his development with Memphis ahead of his rookie NBA season.

“Representing Canada in the Olympics remains a lifelong dream of mine, but for now, I look forward to being the team’s biggest fan from this side of the Atlantic,” Edey said as part of a larger statement (Twitter link via Grange).

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

The Spurs intend to sign future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to a one-year, $11MM+ contract once he clears waivers. That one-year agreement isn’t a coincidence, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who hears the team is prioritizing short-term contracts to maximize financial flexibility for the 2025 offseason (Twitter link). The list of free agents for next year can be found here. Of course, it’s possible the Spurs may be more focused on trade possibilities in 2025 than free agency, as they control several future first-round picks.
Spurs No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is thrilled to team up with reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “Just the thought of playing with him, of course it circulates in your mind, but it really doesn’t feel real until it becomes reality,” Castle said. “So I mean, just to know that that’s going to be my future teammate now, I’m just really excited for what our future looks like.” Castle won a championship with UConn in his lone collegiate season.
With Mason Plumlee heading to Phoenix and Daniel Theis, Moussa Diabate and Kai Jones all unrestricted free agents, the Clippers are looking for a new backup big man, per Law Murray of The Athletic. The Clips expect to work out a new deal with Jones and there’s a chance Diabate could be back too, Murray says, but neither player has a proven track record in the NBA.

Western Notes: Boston Jr., Holmes, Grizzlies Draft, Pelicans, Collier

June 29th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers are not issuing a qualifying offer to 22-year-old wing Brandon Boston Jr., Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (Twitter link). That means Boston will become an unrestricted free agent.

Boston was the No. 51 overall pick in the 2021 draft, spending each of his first three seasons in the league with the Clippers. He played well in limited action, averaging 6.2 points in just 12.9 minutes across 105 appearances with Los Angeles from 2021-24. Per 36 minutes, his career averages jump to 17.4 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Still, Boston never broke through into the main rotation with the Clippers. There’s a chance he remains in Los Angeles on a new deal, but if not, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a younger team take a flier on him.

The No. 4 ranked prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, Boston played one season at Kentucky in 2020/21, averaging 11.5 points in 25 games.

We have more from the Western Conference:

It’s easy to envision how rookie DaRon Holmes II can fit on the Nuggets, with his rim protection and ability to stretch the floor standing out as key elements of his game, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando writes. Holmes will man the second unit for now, giving the team a breath of fresh air there, but he might be a starter down the line. “I definitely see [playing the four] in the future, especially the way the game is now,” Holmes said. “You look at the Grizzlies. They just got Zach Edey. They’re probably gonna play him and [Jaren Jackson Jr.] together. I think that’s perfectly fine for me. Small-ball five will be good at times. I don’t think that will be an all-time thing for me. I’m probably not gonna start at the five if I’m gonna be a starter [someday].”
The Grizzlies draft selections were all highly coveted by the franchise, Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Outside of No. 9 overall pick Edey, Memphis selected Jaylen Wells and acquired Cam Spencer in the second round. “To come out of day two of the draft with both of them joining us, that’s an outcome that we thought was zero chance of,” general manager Zach Kleiman said.
At the end of the season, Pelicans general manager David Griffin said changes would be necessary so the team could keep up with the rest of the West. Trading for Dejounte Murray shows Griffin is backing up those words, William Guillory of The Athletic writes, but there’s more work to be done. The roster is unbalanced, with a lack of frontcourt depth standing out as an issue. Guillory writes that trading Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum in a deal for a starting center would be a sensible move, with Ingram the likelier option due to his trade value and contract status. Some trade options could include Deandre Ayton, Brook Lopez and Mitchell Robinson, though it’s hard to gauge whether opposing teams would have interest in extending Ingram.
The Jazz played the waiting game in the draft after considering options to trade up, and USC guard Isaiah Collier fell into their lap at pick No. 29, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “As the draft started to fall, there was a very high percentage chance on our probability markers that the guys that we liked were going to be there [at 29],” general manager Justin Zanik said. “So we are absolutely thrilled that Isaiah was available for us to take.”

Southwest Notes: Missi, Sheppard, Edey, Ajinca

June 27th, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With incumbent starter Jonas Valanciunas on the cusp of unrestricted free agency and a possible departure, the Pelicans may have added a major insurance policy by drafting former Baylor center Yves Missi, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

“The defensive versatility of (Missi) is something we were really excited about. He’s not just a rim protector. He has the ability to be a multiple-coverage big,” team president David Griffin said. “When you look at an athlete with his size and the way he tested for us here. The things he’s capable of physically are very rare.”

Guillory cautions that Missi is liable to run into foul trouble and may not be ready to immediately contribute, with general manager Bryson Graham referring to the big man as “developmental.” However, Graham also likened Missi to Dereck Lively II, who played a major role as a rookie for the Western Conference champions in Dallas.

“He has such a good feel for finding space. He’s able to set screens and play in the dunker (spot),” Graham said. “It’s a lot like a Dereck Lively-type. I think his feel for the game is very advanced. (Having) somebody like that next to (Zion Williamson), it’s going to unlock him.”

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Had former Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard been selected by the Hawks or Wizards with the first or second pick in the draft on Wednesday, the Rockets had a plan to trade down. When he fell to Houston with the third pick, Houston stayed put, enticed by the 20-year-old’s long range shooting acumen. During a conversation with The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, the 6’2″ guard revealed exactly what Rockets brass wants him to contribute from the jump. “The biggest thing right away is the shooting, just coming in and being able to knock down shots,” Sheppard said. “But at the same time, coming in and doing what you do daily. Playing basketball the right way. Having a high IQ. Just doing the right basketball play.”
Despite rumors that his team was trying to move up to select Donovan Clingan, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman suggested in comments to reporters on Wednesday that Memphis had been targeting All-American former Purdue center Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick all along, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Let’s just say this is exactly what we were hoping would happen,” Kleiman said. “When we talk about the DNA of this team and what we are trying to build out, Zach Edey to a T is that definition.”
The Mavericks only added one new player near the end of this year’s draft, 6’8″ small forward Melvin Ajinca. Dallas traded its own No. 58 pick and cash considerations to the Knicks in order to acquire the French swingman at No. 51. Despite the fact that 50 players were selected before Ajinca, general manager Nico Harrison is excited by the 20-year-old’s ceiling, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “He’s really young and he has huge upside,” Harrison said. “We just like the way he plays. He has a chance to be really good.”

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Sixers, Dillingham, Heat, Jazz, Lakers, More

June 26th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

After surrendering several future first-round picks in their trade agreement for Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are now considered more likely to keep their three picks – No. 24, No. 25, and No. 38 – in this year’s draft, which begins on Wednesday night, Jonathan Givony writes in ESPN’s latest mock draft (Insider link).

The updated mock draft from Givony and ESPN’s Jeremy Woo includes several more notable tidbits, including the fact that the Sixers have conducted perhaps the fewest pre-draft workouts of any team with a first-round pick, resulting in speculation that the No. 16 selection will be traded.

Givony also provides an update on Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, who wasn’t able to work out for teams for most of the pre-draft process due to an ankle injury. According to Givony, teams picking both earlier and later in the first round are trying to figure out where they might need to get to in order to land Dillingham, who has been considered a candidate to fall further than initially anticipated.

The Heat at No. 15 would be one option for Dillingham, as rival teams expect them to select a guard at that spot. Jared McCain, Isaiah Collier, and Carlton Carrington have also been mentioned as candidates for Miami at No. 15, Givony writes.

Here’s more on the 2024 NBA draft, which gets underway in less than 11 hours:

According to Givony, the Jazz (No. 10) have looked into some trade-up scenarios involving the Pistons‘ No. 5 overall pick. Their likely target would be UConn’s Stephon Castle, who is considered a possibility for the Hornets at No. 6 but may also come off the board at No. 4 to the Spurs, Givony explains.
Some rival executives think the Lakers will attempt to move up from No. 17 in the draft in order to target a specific player, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, who says Providence’s Devin Carter and Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter are two prospects the team likes.
Within his final look at the Spurs‘ draft options at No. 4 and 8, LJ Ellis of SpursTalk says a rumor that San Antonio has made a promise to French forward Tidjane Salaun has been “spreading like wildfire in the draft world,” though he hasn’t been able to confirm it himself. Ellis lists Salaun at No. 5 on his big board of Spurs draft prospects.
Salaun is also a potential target to watch for the Trail Blazers at No. 7, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who identifies Donovan Clingan, Cody Williams, Dalton Knecht, and Salaun as the prospects he believes Portland is most interested in. At No. 14, Highkin views Kyshawn George, Tristan Da Silva, Kel’el Ware, and Zach Edey as the Blazers’ most likely targets.

Draft Notes: Clingan, Edey, Top Tiers, Sleepers, Positional Breakdown, Bannan

June 25th, 2024 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has gone away from traditional big men like UConn’s Donovan Clingan and Purdue’s Zach Edey. Yet Clingan is expected to be a top-five pick and Edey could sneak into the lottery. They matched up in the national championship game and Purdue coach Matt Painter was impressed by Clingan’s ability as a help defender.

“The No. 1 thing for us wasn’t Clingan’s defense on Zach, it was Clingan’s defense in help,” Painter told ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. “We thought he was a really good post defender, but also thought Zach would have that advantage. I thought Zach had more success in that game, but where Clingan does his work and where he’s special is on the weak side coming over, helping out on drives, having that timing and the discipline to stay down. To be the second jumper, block or change shots.”

Painter believes Edey will silence the critics who don’t feel his game translates to the NBA level.

“A lot of people will say, professionally, no, you can’t do more than what you’ve done [in college]. I think that’s a fair statement most of the time,” Painter said. “But for Zach, he still was going into his sixth, seventh year of basketball … he did improve and make big strides into this last year, and he’s just going to keep doing that. I don’t think he’s going to stop. He’s kind of defied the odds already, and I think he’s going to keep defying the odds.”

Woo also spoke with UConn coach Dan Hurley to get his thoughts on what Clingan and Edey bring to the table.

We have more draft-related tidbits:

Clingan, Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, UConn swingman Stephon Castle and G League Ignite forward Ron Holland rank as tier-one prospects, otherwise labeled “best bets in a bad class,” according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger. Overall, Hollinger ranks 75 prospects via a 15-tier system, with the last tier being two-way contract candidates.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony offers up his top sleeper prospects at each position. Among that group are UCLA center Adem Bona and Arizona power forward Keshad Johnson.
Another veteran NBA reporter, The Athletic’s David Aldridge, solicits opinions from coaches, executives and scouts to evaluate the guard, forward and big men prospects expected to come off the board.
Australian forward Josh Bannan, who played three seasons at Montana before joining the Brisbane Bullets this past season, has worked out for approximately 10 NBA teams, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc tweets. The Suns, Magic, Lakers, Clippers and Warriors are among the teams who brought him in for a workout.

Northwest Notes: Cancar, Clingan, Edey, Caruso, Jazz, Nuggets

June 24th, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It appears Vlatko Cancar won’t be testing free agency. The Nuggets and Cancar are negotiating a new contract, The Athletic’s Tony Jones tweets.

Denver is declining the $2,346,606 option on Cancar’s current contract due to luxury tax concerns, but it appears that move is the first step in getting the forward back on a deal that would benefit both sides. If Cancar re-signs with the Nuggets on a minimum-salary deal, he would project to make $2,432,511 in ’24/25, while the team would carry a cap hit of $2,093,637.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Trail Blazers have worked out Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey and seem to be leaning toward drafting a center, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reports. The Blazers own the No. 7 and 14 picks. Clingan is expected to be off the board by the No. 7 pick but the Blazers are high enough on Edey that they may grab him with the first of those picks, according to O’Connor, who suggests that if they wind up with a center on draft day, they could look to move Deandre Ayton and/or Robert Williams.
While the Thunder have ample cap space this summer, they will be hard-capped at the first tax apron in 2024/25 due to the Alex Caruso trade, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets. That’s because they took on a higher salary than they’re sending out (Josh Giddey).
The Jazz hold the No. 10, 29 and 32 picks in the draft. How valuable are those latter two picks and should they try to deal them? Kevin Reynolds of the Salt Lake Tribune explores that topic.
Due to a lack of contracts they could package with their first-round pick at No. 28 to obtain another impact player, the Nuggets are likely to retain the pick and seek out another late-round gem, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post writes.

Kings Rumors: No. 13 Pick, Caruso, Fox, Siakam, Kuzma, LaVine

June 24th, 2024 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings‘ No. 13 overall pick is “very available” in trade talks, according to Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who report that Sacramento included that lottery selection in an offer for Alex Caruso before the Bulls decided to send the veteran guard to Oklahoma City instead.

As Slater and Amick detail, the Kings have brought in several late-lottery prospects for pre-draft workouts, including Purdue center Zach Edey. Former Duke standout Jared McCain also recently visited Sacramento for a workout, reports Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. However, there’s “more of an appetite” within the organization to add a veteran who could help the team win right away instead of a rookie, according to The Athletic’s report.

The ideal outcome for Sacramento, Slater and Amick write, would be acquiring a “mid-prime” player who can grow with the core of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk. The Kings believe they have a three-to-six year window to contend with those players and would be willing to attach extra draft assets to this year’s No. 13 pick for the right trade target.

Here’s more on the Kings from The Athletic:

Fox will be extension-eligible starting in July, but he has decided he won’t sign a new contract this offseason, sources tell Slater and Amick. The star guard has two guaranteed years left on his current deal, so there’s no urgency to get anything done yet. Fox wants to see how the roster takes shape and could also still qualify for a super-max extension if he makes an All-NBA team in 2024/25.
The Kings came close to acquiring Pascal Siakam from Toronto before he was sent to Indiana, having backed off in large part because they weren’t confident about their chances of re-signing him. League sources tell The Athletic that there’s some level of regret within the organization about not pulling the trigger and trying to convince the star forward to sign long-term.
Ever since nearly trading for Kyle Kuzma in 2021, Kings general manager Monte McNair has maintained some level of interest in the Wizards forward, who is expected to be on Sacramento’s radar again this summer. League sources also confirm to Slater and Amick that Bulls guard Zach LaVine is a possible target for the Kings, though they’d likely have to be incentivized to take on his maximum-salary contract, which still has three years remaining.
After coming off the bench for the past two seasons, Monk has expressed a desire to start, but he agreed to re-sign with the Kings without having received any assurances about his role going forward, per Slater and Amick.

International Notes: Giannis, Team Canada, Hezonja, Clarkson, Vildoza, Ataman, Team China

June 20th, 2024 at 9:11am CST by Dana Gauruder

Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking forward to participating in Greece’s training camp, though he’s still dealing with the injury that short-circuited the Bucks’ playoff run. Milwaukee’s superstar will look to help Greece advance out of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Piraeus early next month.

“I have not practiced yet, but I feel better. I cannot wait to join the training camp,” he told Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net and other reporters.

Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain late in the NBA regular season. The announcement that he would play for Greece was made at the beginning of this month.

We have more international basketball news:

Canada’s preliminary Olympic roster is loaded with NBA players and there will be tough decisions ahead to pare it to 12 players, Josh Lewenberg of TSN notes. Kings forward Trey Lyles, former NBA bigs Khem Birch and Mfiondu Kabengele and two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey are some of the players who, on paper, will be fighting for the last two spots on the roster, writes Lewenberg.
Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja announced on social media that he’s re-signing with Real Madrid, Sportando relays. “Real Madrid believed in me when many didn’t, cared for me and my family since the first day I arrived and made us feel at home. My only intention was to stay so I am happy to communicate to you that I will continue my journey at MY HOME, MY REAL MADRID for a long time!” he wrote. There had been speculation he might look at NBA opportunities.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was not on the Philippines’ 12-man roster for the FIBA Olympic qualifier. Coach Tim Cone opted for continuity, according to executive director Erika Dy. Cone decided to go with the same group that participated in an Asia Cup qualifier over the winter. “Premise of coach Tim, we have the same roster every time. The shorter training periods will accumulate, and the players will build chemistry,” Dy said, per BasketNews.
Virtus Bologna is reportedly interested in former NBA guard Luca Vildoza, who is leaving Greece’s Panathinaikos, according to another Sportando report. Vildoza had a seven-game stint with the Bucks in 2021/22.
After leading Panathinaikos to a Euroleague title, Ergin Ataman is eager to get a shot at coaching in the NBA. But he told the Spanish outlet AS that he only wants to make the jump if he’s offered a head coaching job. “Before it was my dream, now it’s not, but if you want a star coach from Europe, here I am. Why would I be afraid of training NBA stars?” he said, per Eurohoops.net.
The Chinese national team will participate in the California Classic in Sacramento next month, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports. They’ll be grouped against Summer League teams from the Kings, Hornets, and Spurs. Squads from the Warriors, Lakers and Heat will play against each other in San Francisco.