Ace Bailey's Reps Reportedly Warned Top Five Team He "Wouldn't Report" If Picked

Ace Bailey was selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 5 pick in the draft.

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the fifth pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Ace Bailey saga has continued afterthe 2025 NBA Draft.

Leading up to the big night, Bailey received criticism for his predraft process. He did not work out for any team and there were talks of preferred destinations for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward.

Bailey was selected by the Utah Jazz with the fifth-overall pick on Wednesday night. He apparently did not go to Utah on Thursday but must report ahead of Monday's start.

According to a report from ESPN, Bailey's reps informed a team picking in the top five that he would not report if selected.

It was not released who the team was. Bailey was widely-regarded as the No. 3 prospect in the class. The Philadelphia 76ers selected VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor before Duke's Kon Kneuppel went to the Charlotte Hornets ahead of Bailey.

The forward expressed after the draft that he is focused on basketball. Bailey's agent, Omar Cooper, used examples from previous years to state that the pre-draft process was not uncommon.

"There is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey's predraft process was handled," Cooper said.

"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 tey drafted him anyway."

The Utah Jazz remain pleased with their selection of Bailey and believe he will be a special player.

"We do a lot of background calls and work on guys, and everyone loves being around Ace," Utah's president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said.