Ace Bailey’s messy drama with the Utah Jazz, explained

It hasn’t even been two days since the 2025 NBA Draft and there’s already massive drama brewing. Ace Bailey, who was selected with the 5th pick by the Jazz is blowing off the team, decided not to fly to Utah with fellow first round pick Walter Clayton Jr. Now there are questions on whether the team can convince Bailey to report, whether the draft pick will hold out, and what this means for his future in the NBA.

We could be hurtling towards one of the most public post-draft fallouts in recent memory, with NBA insiders failing to see a path forward. Let’s dive into what exactly what started this whole mess, and what (if anything) can be done to resolve this amicably.

What’s the deal with Ace Bailey?

A five-star recruit out of Tennessee, Ace Bailey was one of the most coveted high school prospects in the nation. After garnering offers from basketball powerhouses like Kansas, Ohio State, Texas, and Oregon, Bailey stunned everyone with the announcement he was committing to Rutgers.

Bailey and fellow top-five pick Dylan Harper made the Scarlet Knights must-watch basketball this past season, even if the team wasn’t very good because they lacked talent outside of those two players. Harper played the role of the smart, disciplined floor general, overflowing with fundamentals — while Bailey thrived on vibes. Ace never met a shot he didn’t like, and this often led to some baffling decisions with the ball in his hands, but also some of the best highlight-reel shots of the season.

This style of play made him one of the ultimate boom-or-bust prospects in the draft. If a team could work on his shot selection and iron out bad tendencies then the floor could be someone like Michael Porter Jr, if everything went right we could see the next Tracy McGrady. Of course, there was also a chance none of these bad aspects to his game could be tamed, and he’d be a wasted pick.

The only thing that was absolutely certain about Ace Bailey was his confidence in himself and the group of people around him, which led to a very bizarre pre-draft process.

Ace works out for nobody, and his agent makes a threat

It’s not uncommon for a NBA Draft prospect to skip over some pre-draft workouts with teams. Alex Sarr did this with the Hawks a year ago, Evan Mobley did the same with the Cavaliers in 2021. However, Bailey chose to skip workouts with every single NBA team, instead choosing to stand on a private workout for all 30 teams he held in Chicago.

This potentially hurt Bailey’s draft stock, especially with the Sixers at No. 3. There was a very real chance he could have been taken by the team, but during ESPN’s draft coverage there was mention of the decision to not work out in Philadelphia pushing the team towards V.J. Edgecombe instead.

Then came the threat from Bailey’s agent, who reportedly told the Charlotte Hornets (at No. 4) and the Utah Jazz (at No. 5) that his client wouldn’t report if either team selected him. It’s unclear why Bailey didn’t want to go to either organization, though there was speculation it had to do with his ability to shine as a star player immediately as a rookie. In Charlotte he would have been put in a rotation role behind Brandon Miller to start his career, while the same is the case with Larri Markkanen with the Jazz.

Seemingly Bailey’s camp wanted him to be drafted by the Wizards, Pelicans, or Nets — all of whom had more open space on the wings where Bailey would start immediately and have a chance to display the star power he believed he had. It’s also possible that Bailey simply wanted to be in a bigger market than either Charlotte or Salt Lake City for the same reason.

Utah calls their bluff …

Despite the threat of not reporting, and the rumors that Ace Bailey didn’t want anything to do with the Jazz, Utah selected him with the No. 5 overall pick — and his look on the podium said it all, really.

With all the excitement of a kid at a funeral, Bailey shook Adam Silver’s hand as if he’d just seen the ending to Old Yeller. Bailey dodged the question when asked about Utah in his post-draft interview, instead saying that he focuses on basketball and leaves the rest up to his team.

Despite Bailey’s consternation the Jazz are a really good fit for him. The team has a rotation that would allow him to shine, and a structure-oriented coach in Will Hardy with the pedigree that can polish his decision making and shot selection, helping him become the true star he believes he is.

That might not be enough.

Bailey skips his flight to Utah

The assumption was that Bailey would eventually get over it and report to the Jazz. While it might not be his preferred place, it’s not like he has the leverage to actually force a trade. The lack of workouts for teams ensured nobody had extremely strong convictions about him — moreover, it’s unclear if any team wants to set the precedent for allowing draft picks to force their way onto other teams via trade after the draft itself.

Reports emerged that Bailey did not fly to Utah with fellow 1st round pick Walter Clayton Jr, who was also selected by the Jazz. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the Jazz front office wasn’t going to budge on this at all, regardless of what Bailey decided to do.

“One thing I will tell you, with confidence, Danny Ainge and his son, Austin, are not going to bend here. They’re not going to get pushed around. They do not care what the situation might bring,” Windhorst said. “So the idea that they’re going to pressure the Jazz into something, I don’t think will be successful for Ace Bailey and his operation. But let’s see how the next 72 hours plays out.”

Windhorst reiterated this on Get Up on Friday Morning.

Meanwhile Jazz owner Ryan Smith appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday to discuss the pick, and seemingly acknowledged that the team knew Bailey didn’t want to play in Utah.

“Naturally, he doesn’t have a lot of experience out west here with Utah,” Smith said. “That’s our job to make him love it. I’m confident in our state and he’ll feel love like he’s never felt before. And the reality is, there is nothing Ace and others can’t accomplish here.”

It’s extremely bizarre to have a team owner trying to make the case for his own team to a rookie, rather than a rookie being happy to be selected in the Top 5. However, nothing about Bailey’s pre-draft process has been normal.

What happens next?

That’s unclear, largely because this is unprecedented. When it comes down the brass tacks, Bailey’s entourage has absolutely no leverage and have misunderstood the power they thought they possessed. Meanwhile the Jazz obviously want Ace Bailey, but they don’t really need him in a desperate enough way that they can’t just ignore his demands forever.

In the NFL a player can choose not to re-sign their rookie contract and re-enter the draft the following year, but that mechanism isn’t in place in the NBA CBA. This is it for Ace Bailey as it stands. His first NBA contract must be with the team that drafted him, in this case Utah — and there’s absolutely nothing he can do about that.

Eventually someone will need to fold. In this scenario the Jazz have all the power. Bailey won’t be playing basketball, won’t be paid, and only hurt himself by failing to report. In theory he could just ignore the NBA all together and play overseas, but that is a wholly ludicrous premise not even worth entertaining.

It’s just a question of how long this will drag out and who blinks first.