The Utah Jazz selected Rutgers wing Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick despite his representatives informing at least one top-five team he wouldn’t report if drafted, according to ESPN sources. The Utah Jazz selected Bailey fifth overall despite his refusal to work out for the team. Bailey’s pre-draft strategy created significant intrigue in the run up to the first round of the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday.
“I can control what I can control,” Bailey said when asked about critics questioning his happiness with Utah. “They feel how they feel.”
Agent Omar Cooper defended Bailey’s pre-draft approach as standard business practice. Cooper noted that Bailey completed 18 team interviews and participated in a Chicago workout attended by all NBA franchises.
“Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago. Everyone got his medical. They watched him run and jump. They got his measurements,” Cooper told ESPN.
Rival teams believed Bailey’s camp preferred the Washington Wizards, who held the sixth overall pick. Washington successfully drafted Alex Sarr second overall in 2024 after he avoided workouts with the Atlanta Hawks, who were selecting at No. 1.
The Wizards possessed an ideal roster fit for Bailey’s wing skills and scoring ability. However, Utah’s secretive draft plans under new president Austin Ainge caught rival teams off-guard.
Utah finished with the league’s worst record but fell to fifth in the draft lottery. The Jazz capitalized on Bailey’s availability at a position where he wasn’t expected to remain.
“He’s great. We were able to speak with him. He was super excited. We’re super excited,” Ainge said Wednesday night. “His scoring gets a lot of attention, deservedly so. He’s very skilled for his size.”
Cooper declined to address specific questions regarding Bailey’s future relationship with the Jazz organization.