The Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, despite the Rutgers star publicly expressing his desire to play for teams like the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets.
Ace Bailey’s Reps Told Top-5 Team Not To Select Him
Bailey’s decision to skip workouts with every NBA team led to speculation that Bailey and his representation were trying to force a desired outcome on Wednesday night.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Tim Bontemps reported Thursday that “Bailey’s representatives informed a team drafting inside the top five they didn’t want that team to select [him], and that he wouldn’t report if they did.”
Givony and Bontemps also reported that rival teams believed Bailey’s preferred team was the Wizards. Givony added that the Jazz were not on Bailey’s list.
It remains unclear if Utah was the team Bailey said he wouldn’t report to if selected. Bailey said after he was selected that it was out of his control, and he reportedly had “no idea” the Jazz were interested in drafting him.
“I can control what I can control,” Bailey said, when asked after being drafted what he’d say to people who didn’t believe he was happy with the Jazz. “They feel how they feel. “But my team and me, me focusing on basketball and them doing what they’re doing, so it happens.”
Jazz Vice President Of Player Development Expects Bailey To Show Up
Avery Bradley, Utah’s vice president of player development, seemed unbothered by the situation when asked about Givony and Bontemps’ report on Thursday night.
“For me, it is my understanding that all of our draft picks will be here this weekend and preparing for summer league,” Bradley said.
It seems very unlikely that Bailey would do anything other than report to the Jazz and begin his NBA career.
“I think there is always going to be outside noise,” Bradley added. “But Ace’s dream was to get drafted, and he’s blessed to have been drafted by the Utah Jazz. We are excited to have him. We are excited to get him here and excited to get him a part of our family, so he can begin to show who he is as a player.”
Danny Ainge, the Jazz’s president of basketball operations, reportedly indicated to Givony that he didn’t “give a damn” about whether the 18-year-old wanted to play in Utah.
During a separate interview, Ainge also mentioned that Bailey is excited to be there.
“We were able to speak with him. He was super excited,” he said. “We’re super excited. We’re expecting a very bright future. His scoring gets a lot of attention, [and] deservedly so. He’s very skilled for his size.
The Jazz also selected Florida star Walter Clayton Jr., who was taken by the Wizards with the No. 18 pick before being traded to Utah for Nos. 21 and 43 as well as second-round picks in 2031 and 2032.
