Zach Edey has been college basketball’s best player for two straight seasons. Yet, an NIL rule makes it so he can’t profit off his success in America.
Because Edey is Canadian, he’s not legally allowed to make money through NIL deals that take place in the USA.
He can, however, conduct NIL deals when he returns to Canada, like when Purdue played Alabama in Toronto on December 9.
But those homecomings are limited, and this NIL law puts a cap on Edey’s earning potential.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss spoke with Edey about this on April 5. When asked about the NIL rule, the Purdue superstar said, “I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of money.”
He has a point. It’s insane to think that Edey — who averaged 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in 2023-24 — can’t benefit from that performance, financially.
While Bronny James, in contrast, averaged 4.8 points per game and has a $4.5 million NIL evaluation, per On3.com.
Since the two-time AP Player of the Year is headed to the NBA Draft, it’s too late for him to profit off of a potential rule change while at Purdue. But Edey hopes that speaking up can help future players benefit.
“I hope they change it in the future,” he said. “I obviously have lost out on a lot of money this year. At the end of the day, it needs to change, for sure. I understand kind of the legal process. It takes a while.
“It’s not like it’s an NCAA rule. It’s an American law. Anytime you try to go change that, I understand it takes a while. But I do think it needs to change.”
Money is Coming For Edey
NIL rule aside, Edey has a lot of money headed his way in the coming months.
The most recent NBA.com mock draft has Edey being taken No. 21 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, by the Orlando Magic.
The projected rookie-scale salary of a player drafted in that position last season was $2,574,200, according to Yahoo Sports.
Per NBA insider Shams Charania, the projected 2024-25 NBA salary cap is $141 million. This is an increase compared to the 2023-24 NBA salary cap, which is just over $136 million.
Therefore, the value for next year’s No. 21 overall NBA Draft slot will be even higher than it was last year.
Which is to say that Edey will be a millionaire by summer’s end.
Why Won’t Edey Be Drafted Higher?
Considering his unquestioned college success, it might be surprising to some that Edey likely won’t be an NBA Draft lottery pick.
But this is owed to concerns about how well Edey’s game will translate to the NBA.
An April 15 episode of Club 520 Podcast (hosted by retired NBA player Jeff Teague plus two others) discussed Edey potentially being drafted by the Indiana Pacers. And the hosts weren’t too keen on the idea.
“[Edey] is definitely gonna get drafted by the Pacers,” Teague said.
“The way we play, that boy wouldn’t make it.” answered host DJ Wells.
One of the biggest concerns about Edey is his physical conditioning.
Although Edey can surely improve upon that, and prove doubters wrong when he enters the NBA.
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