Wednesday’s 2025 NBA Draft has a ton of intriguing prospects with the upside to completely change the trajectory for NBA franchises. But perhaps the most intriguing prospect, Ace Bailey, has sparked controversy and put his draft stock in jeopardy by deciding not to work out for teams ahead of the draft.
Bailey, who most had predicted would be a surefire top 3 pick in the draft, has made it incredibly clear that he desires to be a first option on a team right away for any team that ultimately ends up drafting him. And Bailey appears to be quite particular about the kind of team he would like to be drafted to.
The talent is there for Bailey to be a standout player right away at the NBA level. But in Paul George’s eyes, Bailey may not have the mental maturity needed to excel at the NBA level based on his pre-draft antics of not working out for teams.
“If I’m Ace Bailey, I can’t get mad if my stock drops,” George said on a recent episode of his podcast. “He’s canceled all workouts—like he hasn’t worked out for any team. I think they made a big deal because we were scheduled to work him out, and he canceled the day of. But he hasn’t worked out for any team. You’re not in a position to be making all these demands. Make it to the league first.”
The fact of the matter is, plenty of great collegiate players have ultimately not ended up working out at the NBA level. If Ace Bailey isn’t careful, he could very well end up in that category if he alienates NBA front offices as he appears to be doing right now.
That being said, regardless of how you view Bailey’s personality, expect for his name to go off the board sometime in the first half of the first round. That is, unless NBA teams have completely put up the red flags on Bailey as a prospect…