Zach Edey Cleared to Make Grizzlies Preseason Debut Against Magic

Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey was cleared to make his preseason debut Wednesday against the Orlando Magic at FedExForum, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo told reporters before the game.

Iisalo said Memphis would be conservative with Edey's minutes.

Wednesday was Edey's first game action since Dec. 7. He had not been expected to appear in the preseason, and the Grizzlies held him out of Monday's opener in Atlanta.

Getting Edey to the Oct. 21 regular-season opener against the Utah Jazz had been the priority, and the Grizzlies had said he was fully cleared while they continued to monitor him.

"This was pretty much the best-case scenario that we had planned, and there was nothing that prevented us from going through," Iisalo said.

Memphis drafted Edey ninth overall in 2024. He has had two procedures on his left ankle since.

The first came June 10, 2025, to tighten and re-stabilize the outside of the ankle after Edey sprained it again during offseason training. On March 1, the Grizzlies announced a second surgery to treat lingering pain and bone stress in the same ankle. He also had a procedure on his left elbow later in March.

Edey missed the first 13 games of last season while recovering from the June surgery. He made his season debut Nov. 15.

The Grizzlies announced Dec. 11 that he had a stress reaction in the ankle. He did not play again.

In 11 games, Edey averaged 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 63.3% from the field.

As a rookie, he started 55 of the 66 games he played and averaged 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. He missed 12 games that season with a sprained left ankle and was named to the All-Rookie First Team.

Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said at media day on Sept. 28 that Edey had been cleared for all activities.

"He's exactly where we hoped he would be at this point in time," Kleiman said.

Last month, Zach Lowe named Edey the Grizzlies' X-factor for 2026-27. Memphis is expected to start Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward, Jerami Grant, Cameron Boozer, and Edey this season.

Monday's opener ended in a 132-123 win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Edey was the only player on the roster who did not appear.

Every Grizzlies player stayed under 20 minutes. Jerome and Quinten Post played only the first half.

Post started at center Monday and had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, with four rebounds in 12 minutes. He was moved out of the starting lineup Wednesday with Edey back.

Boozer, the third overall pick in June, had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 18 minutes against Atlanta. He listed Rookie of the Year among his goals at media day.

Isaiah Stewart, another center Memphis added this offseason, was listed as questionable for Wednesday with an ankle injury.

Wednesday was also Orlando's preseason opener and the first preseason game for Magic coach Sean Sweeney. Desmond Bane returned to FedExForum for the first time since Memphis traded him to the Magic in the summer of 2025.

The Grizzlies went 25-57 last season. Wednesday's game was the second of four on their preseason schedule.