This isn’t a good look. A night after Ace Bailey was selected by the Utah Jazz with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft, the rookie’s agent refused to answer questions about the 18-year-old’s future with the team.
Bailey made waves before the draft when he refused to meet and work out for any teams, even canceling a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers last week. The 76ers ended up using the No. 3 pick on Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe.
It was also reported Bailey was hoping to avoid Utah and preferred the Washington Wizards with the sixth pick.
Omar Cooper, Bailey’s agent, told ESPN NBA insiders Jonathan Givony and Tim Bontemps that there was “nothing uncommon” about how the predraft process was handled.
“Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago,” Cooper told ESPN. “He did 18 interviews. Everyone got his medical. They watched him run and jump. They got his measurements.
“No one said anything when Davion Mitchell canceled a workout with the Toronto Raptors. No one criticized Evan Mobley when he didn’t work out for Cleveland, and they drafted him anyway.”
However, when Givony and Bontemps asked Cooper about Bailey’s future with the Jazz, he declined to comment.
Givony and Bontemps report that Bailey’s representatives told a team drafting in the top-five not to pick him because he wouldn’t report. The team was not named.
Bailey was initially considered a top-three pick before sliding down draft boards. Now the Rutgers product will be playing for the Jazz, who had the worst record in the league in 2024 at 17-65.
Matt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant ... More about Matt Higgins