Ace Bailey’s Agent Candidly Addresses Jazz Rookie’s Strange Pre-Draft Process

Omar Cooper fired back at critics who scrutinized Bailey's choice to not work out for any NBA teams.

Ace Bailey poses on the red carpet prior to the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 25, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. / Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Ace Bailey's agent, Omar Cooper, doesn't see anything wrong with how the Rutgers star went about his pre-draft strategy leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft.

Cooper spoke to ESPN after Bailey was selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 5 pick Wednesday night, and he fired back at those who criticized the 18-year-old for refusing to work out for teams prior to the draft.

"Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago," Cooper said. "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. There is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey's pre-draft process was handled."

Bailey made headlines earlier this month after he cancelled a planned workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, which held the No. 3 pick, offering no reason for backing out two days before the scheduled event. Bailey also reportedly declined a workout invitation from the Jazz, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. The Rutgers wing entered the draft as the lone domestic prospect to not work out for a single NBA team.

Fischer reported Tuesday that some NBA organizations believed Bailey's representatives wanted to "steer him to a team that can offer a healthy shot profile and on-ball creation opportunities." Cooper didn't confirm or deny that, but did make clear that Bailey's pre-draft process wasn't anything out of the ordinary from his perspective.

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