Labels from prima donna to pariah are pushing doubt to the forefront and raising the likelihood teams could pass on Ace Bailey, the Rutgers small forward who had been considered a virtual lock to be selected with one of the top three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
There is also a chance Bailey, under the direction of agent Omar Cooper, already has a guaranteed ticket to the NBA in the form of a promise from one of the NBA teams with an early selection in the draft.
“I’m just working on basketball, that’s all I’m focused on,” Bailey said during pre-draft media availability in New York on Tuesday. “I can only control what I can control, you can think what you think… I’m focused on basketball.”
The San Antonio Spurs pick second after Cooper Flagg, all but official as the top pick to the Dallas Mavericks, takes the stage. Only Flagg was ranked ahead of Bailey in the Class of 2024 recruiting rankings.
But after the No. 1 pick is made, the chances Bailey is chosen close behind Flagg are open to debate.
From there, the clock is ticking on Bailey and his unconventional approach to the draft. A freshman 18-year-old with one season at Rutgers and a Mcdonald’s All-American resume before that, multiple NBA teams attempted to get to know Bailey the player, person and prospect a little bit better in the past five weeks. But Bailey canceled all public workouts with teams, a stance that surprised established NBA players such as Paul George. George plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have the No. 3 pick in the draft, and doesn’t seem to believe the cards are aligned for them to become teammates.
“I mean, I think if I’m Ace Bailey I can’t get mad if my stock drops,” George said on his podcast this week, pointing directly at “people around him” enticing Bailey to call off workouts.
“He’s canceled all workouts. Like he hasn’t worked out for any team. So, I think they made a big deal because we were scheduled to work him out and he canceled the day of,” George said in reference to Bailey’s canceled workout with the 76ers. “But he hasn’t worked out for any team. But you’re not in a position to be making those demands. Make it to the league first.”
Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 2024-25. Of course, Bailey will “make it to the league,” but general managers are capable of setting the terms on Wednesday.
College teammate Dylan Harper, a combo guard and the son of former NBA player Ron Harper, is projected as the likely No. 2 pick by most pundits. Harper said the so-called red flags around Bailey can be lowered and are overblown.
“If the energy is down, he’s going to bring the energy up. Him in the locker room is probably the best thing that’s probably going for him,” Harper said. “His energy is contagious and you’re going to feel it whether you want to feel it or not.”
–Field Level Media
