Ace Bailey caused quite a stir leading up to the 2025 NBA draft by allegedly telling teams in the top 5 not to pick him, with the Washington Wizards (No. 6) seen as his preferred destination.
Several reports suggested that if a team in the top 5 defied Bailey’s request, he would not report after being drafted.
The Utah Jazz called Bailey’s bluff and selected him fifth overall on Wednesday night. Then the anticipated standoff began.
Bailey did not travel to Utah immediately after being drafted and the two sides had very minimal contact, reported ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
But that crisis now appears to have been diverted.
The Jazz have scheduled a Sunday press conference to introduce both Bailey and fellow first-round pick Walter Clayton Jr., with a team representative telling ESPN this timeline has always been their plan.
“We’ve had good communication with Ace Bailey and his representatives,” the Jazz representative said. “We feel good about everything. Ace and his family are coming to Utah tomorrow. We’ll have a press conference Sunday and a practice Monday.
“This has always been the plan, including for our other rookies, Walter Clayton and John Tonje — to let them go home and collect their belongings, and then fly right to summer league from Salt Lake City.”
Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, pushed back on many of the reports and classified Bailey’s pre-draft approach as normal business.
“There is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey’s predraft process was handled,” he said.
The 6-foot-9 Bailey was widely viewed as a top-3 prospect leading up to the draft and will play an important role for the Jazz as a rookie.
