NBA Draft 2024: 4 best team options for former Purdue star center Zach Edey

4. Memphis Grizzlies (Pick No. 9)

The past season was a lost one for Memphis, with star guard Ja Morant playing just nine games, with the rest of the roster also dealing with injuries. So expect them to bounce back but need to address the center position. Bismack Biyombo and Trey Jemison started a combined 50 games last season so expect them to target a big man.

At 9, it might be too high for Memphis to justify taking Edey but they’d be a good fit for him. They have plenty of quality defenders to support him on the floor and the 1-2 punch of Morant and Edey could be dynamic on offense. They don’t need a star at the five-spot but someone who can take pressure off of the guards. Plus, Edey’s size would be helpful against the rest of the centers in the West such as Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert.

3. Phoenix Suns (Pick No. 22)

There are two important positions of need for the Suns, point guard and center. Of the two, center is probably where they can get a meaningful impact player that’ll be part of the rotation. They should have Jusuf Nurkic back but the lack of depth inside was an issue for a team that didn’t rebound or defend well in the interior.

Considering that they have Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant on the court, opposing teams won’t be able to double Edey inside, creating another potential mismatch. This team isn’t going to have any resources to upgrade the roster in other ways so going after Edey may have the highest ceiling possible of all the options here.