Gett Purdue center Zach Edey.
The Los Angeles Lakers turned a lot of heads with the news that they’re pursuing UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley for their head coaching job. If he ends up taking the job, it seems likely the Lakers would prefer to keep their draft picks and develop young players over trading them away for a star.
Purdue’s Zach Edey is one of the most interesting players in the draft. The 7-foot-4 center was the National College Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons and led the NCAA in scoring in 2024. The Lakers could use some more size to help take the center burden off of Anthony Davis. According to a June 7 column from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, the Lakers have plans to visit with Edey.
Los Angeles is doing their due diligence with many prospects so there’s no guarantee that they plan to draft Edey. However, they are at least slightly interested if they’re meeting with him. If Hurley takes the Lakers job, it’s easy to see them being more interested in Edey due to the fact that the coach has gotten an up-close look at the star big man for the last few years.
Zach Edey Should Be Available to Los Angeles Lakers
Edey is one of the most decorated players to be in this year’s draft class. Despite his litany of awards and success in college basketball, there are some concerns about how his game will translate to the NBA.
Many mock drafts have him falling to the back half of the first round. A recent mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report had Edey falling to No. 19. Why is such a prolific player not expected to be a lottery pick?
FOX Sports’ Ric Bucher spoke to an eastern conference executive who gave some insight.
“He will be a polarizing prospect in this draft,” the executive told Bucher for an April 9 column. “Teams that like him will point to his massive size and ability to score effectively in the lane and consider him as a mid-to-late first-round pick. Teams that don’t like him will point to his vulnerability as a defender and lack of passing and face-up game and consider him in the 30 to 45-pick range as a functional backup.”
Edey could truly be selected anywhere in the draft but the Lakers would certainly be an interesting landing spot if they hired Hurley.
A Bronny James-Zach Edey Draft Class?
The Lakers haven’t had much success in the draft in recent years but this year is interesting. It’s not considered a very strong class but there could be some good role players. It’s worth noting that LeBron James‘ son Bronny James is in the class.
He needs a lot of work but has upside as a defender. Hurley is one of the best player developers in college basketball and that skill should translate to the NBA when it comes to young players. Landing Edey in the first round and James in the second round would give the Lakers a couple of young players with a ton of room to grow. The Lakers don’t need stars right now, they need dependable role players. James developing into a strong perimeter defender and Edey becoming a reliable center would be huge for Los Angeles.