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When the 2025 NBA Draft takes place later this month, Cooper Flagg of Duke and Dylan Harper of Rutgers are extremely likely to be the first two names off the board. The next name, however, is anyone’s guess. But it appears Harper’s college teammate, Ace Bailey, isn’t doing himself any favors.
Bailey, a lanky forward with elite shotmaking capability, sits in a group with Baylor’s VJ Edgecomb, Texas’ Tre Johnson, and Duke’s Kon Knueppel as players who could go No. 3 to the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, Bailey was long considered the favorite to go to Philadelphia due to both his fit and his skill set.
Now that’s no longer the case.
Ace Bailey Refused Visit With Philadelphia 76ers Over Concerns About His Role
In his latest two-round mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has the 76ers selecting Edgecomb over Bailey. That alone isn’t a surprise, but the reason why Philadelphia would reportedly pass on Bailey doesn’t shine a bright light on the Rutgers product.
Givony reports that Bailey initially refused to visit with the 76ers because he didn’t see a pathway to the role he wants with the team.
Additionally, “The feedback from his interviews at the draft combine in Chicago was not all that positive, with some teams expressing concern about his lack of preparation and focus. NBA executives say Bailey has been polarizing in internal front office conversations because of questions about his feel for the game and lack of polish, creating a wider draft range than initially anticipated.”
Ultimately, Givony mocks Edgecomb, Knueppel and Johnson all ahead of Bailey, whom he has going No. 6 to the Washington Wizards.
Should Philadelphia select Bailey, it is hard to imagine him immediately slotting into the 76ers starting lineup. But one of the players he’d presumably sit behind, Paul George, is the perfect archetype for his career. You’d think Bailey would see that as an ideal landing spot. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, and it make cost him some serious money at the NBA Draft.