Ace Bailey was considered one of the more talented players in the 2025 NBA Draft Class. There were rumblings early on that he could be selected as high as number 2 after Cooper Flagg, and the 6’10” forward out of Rutgers was becoming something of a sure-fire prospect.
Ace Bailey’s NBA Career Is Off To A Rocky Start
But due to the way that he handled the scouting process and his actions immediately following being picked, there are some serious character questions surrounding the 18-year-old to begin his career.
Bailey made waves during the evaluation process. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Bailey refused to have 1-on-1 meetings with teams that were interested in selecting him, most notably when he cancelled his visit with the Philadelphia 76ers, who held the 3rd overall pick.
Ace Bailey needs to fire his representation. He's getting horrible advice. The Jazz have a great infrastructure for him to start his career, a great coach, a lot of young talent. So foolish if he's being told not to go there. https://t.co/ueKh03vu5L
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 27, 2025
While it certainly seemed to be a detrimental decision, Bailey’s agent Omar Cooper pointed out that skipping out on team meetings wasn’t out of the ordinary for potential lottery picks.
In the hours leading up to Wednesday’s first round, it was reported that Bailey’s camp informed a team within the top-5 that he didn’t want to be drafted by them. If the team went against those wishes, the player would choose not to show up. This came on the heels of Bailey’s representation highlighting the three NBA teams that he hoped to get drafted by.
The Utah Jazz were not one of the teams on his list, but GM Danny Ainge chose to pull the trigger regardless. Bailey was selected by Utah with the 5th overall pick, and there were immediate question marks.
Bailey Yet To Report To Utah Jazz Facilities
Was Ace Bailey happy with that decision? Would he show up and play for the Jazz and give a full effort to being his NBA career?
Those questions have yet to be answered in the days that have followed. On Thursday, Walter Clayton Jr., the team’s other first round selection, flew to Utah to report to the team’s facilities and start his onboarding process. Bailey was not on the flight with Clayton Jr, and was nowhere to be seen throughout the day.
Ace Bailey didn’t fly to Utah with Walter Clayton Jr. after being drafted, per @WindhorstESPN 😳
(h/t @esidery) pic.twitter.com/x4IctvZLKq
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 27, 2025
Reports have stated that while the Jazz are “very excited” to welcome Bailey this weekend, there has been minimal contact between the franchise and the player.
We’ll start to get some solid answers in just a few days, though. This coming Monday marks the start of training camp for the upcoming NBA Summer League, which will be mandatory for all rookies to attend. If Bailey isn’t in the fold by then, the Jazz will have an issue on their hands.
There is no “crisis” yet, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, but there will be if the tides fail to change in the coming days.
