REPORT: Ace Bailey 'Threatened' Top-Five Team in NBA Draft

Ace Bailey's NBA career hasn't even officially started yet, but it's already been chock full of drama.

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey signs autographs before the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

NBA 2K26 Summer League is officially underway, with the Salt Lake City games and the California Classic already wrapped up. It's clear that the story of the draft so far has been former Rutgers Scarlet Knight Ace Bailey. That didn't change through the first part of Summer League, but perhaps the main event can finally take the spotlight off of him for a little reprieve.

Bailey dominated the news cycle all last season. His penchant for taking and making tough shots and alarmingly low assist numbers gave the impression that he was a selfish basketball player who was allergic to moving the rock. Even if that proved to be a false narrative, the reputation stuck with him for many fans and analysts and followed him to the draft.

His camp's handling of the pre-draft process didn't help matters in that regard, either. Bailey had reportedly canceled a scheduled visit with the Philadelphia 76ers, who held the third-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which ultimately meant that he didn't work out privately for any teams. There were rumors that his agent, Omar Cooper, father of former prospect Sharife Cooper, was allegedly trying to drive his stock down to get Bailey to a team outside of the top five, with the Washington Wizards at six, the New Orleans Pelicans at seven, and the Brooklyn Nets at eight as possible preferred destinations.

ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reported that his camp even threatened one of the franchises selecting in the top five:

"Leading up to the NBA draft, Ace Bailey's representatives informed a team drafting inside the top five that they didn't want that team to select the Rutgers wing and that he wouldn't report if it did."

Ultimately, that didn't matter to the Utah Jazz, who ended up taking him with the fifth pick. It's unclear if they were the target of that warning from Bailey's camp.

Regardless, Ace is on the Jazz now. Not only did he report to the team without any issues, but he even put up a highly impressive outing for them in his second Summer League game, dropping 18 points, seven rebounds (with four on the offensive glass), and three assists on 7-14 shooting in a one-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Utah will be hoping that Bailey will only further vindicate the risk they took in drafting him throughout his career.