Purdue's Zach Edey wants to try his size in NBA but retains eligibility

Zach Edey wants to give the NBA Draft a shot, and at 7-foot-4, 295 pounds with a sweet touch around the rim, who could blame him?

Edey announced on social media that he's going to enter the 2023 NBA Draft process, with one caveat. He is going to hold on to his final year of eligibility at Purdue, meaning that he can receive feedback from NBA teams regarding his draft status but must pull out by May 31 if he wants to withdraw and head back to West Lafayette, Indiana for one more season.

"My basketball journey has been unorthodox to say the least, but I wouldn't change a thing about it," Edey wrote. "From ranked No. 437 in my class to National Player of the Year, I can't put into words what Purdue University, my teammates, my coaches, and our fans mean to me. Though we fell short of our ultimate goal this season, I loved every second of it.

"With that being said, I'm putting my name in the NBA draft while maintaining my college eligibility. I will evaluate my future after going through the process and look forward to what's next."

While playing in the NBA would undoubtedly be a dream realized for Edey, one can't help but speculate that Purdue fans would be more than happy if the big man decides to give it one more shot with the Boilermakers.

The one and only thing that marred an otherwise incredible season for Edey was the fact that Purdue got bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as a No. 1 seed.

The Boilermakers, on paper, had a team that could have competed for a championship. If Edey comes back for his senior season, perhaps they'll get another shot.

Edey averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season. He was a unanimous college basketball National Player of the Year and All-American.