The 2025 NBA Draft has come and gone already and free agency is gearing up to begin. However, the Utah Jazz are facing a very interesting situation regarding their first round draft pick Ace Bailey.
Bailey was selected with the No. 5 overall pick. Most players would be ecstatic to be drafted in the top five, but Bailey has been a major storyline throughout the entire draft process.
He refused to work out for teams and seemed to be trying to direct his future to specific teams. The Jazz were not one of those preferred teams.
Following Utah's decision to draft Bailey, all eyes have been on the former Rutgers star and how he would react to his new home. So far, the reaction has not seemed to be positive.
Walter Clayton Jr., the other first-round pick for the Jazz, traveled to Utah following the draft. Bailey did not join him and there has been no clear update about what the No. 5 pick is going to end up doing.
With that being said, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst has shared a concerning update for the Jazz regarding Bailey's future.
"The Jazz were very excited to welcome him to Utah over the weekend, and that hasn't happened yet," Windhorst said. "So he did not go there. Their other first-round pick, Walter Clayton Jr., flew to Utah on Thursday and is getting ready to go. Ace Bailey did not, and there's been minimal contact with him and the team."
Even though there is cause for concern, Windhorst is not in panic mode for Utah yet.
"What the Jazz are saying is, he's not expected in Utah until the weekend, and really, what he needs to do is be there by Monday when their training camp for Summer League," he said. "And if he's there, no problem, hope his Jazz career gets off to a good start. If he's not, let's see what actions go from there."
Basically, the situation boils down to the fact that there is reason to be concerned, but there is no reason to panic. Bailey could still show up and everything could be ironed out quickly.
There is no question that Bailey has the potential to become a superstar in the NBA. During the 2024-25 college basketball season at Rutgers, he played in 30 games and averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and a steal per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from three-point range.
It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the Jazz and Bailey.
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