Ace Bailey’s draft stock is falling, and even the Hornets might not bite at No. 4

The Rutgers star may be on the verge of falling outside of the top five in the 2025 NBA draft.

May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Ace Bailey talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Not all that long ago, it seemed as if Rutgers star Ace Bailey was a heavy favorite to go second overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. At worst, he'd fall to three. Unless something unexpected takes place, San Antonio will likely take his teammate, Dylan Harper, and could find himself slipping into the lap of the Charlotte Hornets at fourth overall.

According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Bailey recently canceled his pre-draft workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, which is certainly an interesting decision. However, as Givony also noted in his report, Bailey has not visited any NBA teams as of today - also an interesting decision by him and his agent, Omar Cooper.

There were already some question marks about Bailey's game, and deciding not to meet with teams will likely rub some decision-makers the wrong way.

So, what does this mean for the Charlotte Hornets?

Well, they could still take him if he's there, which appears likely, but as I've noted in recent weeks, I don't see the fit in Charlotte anyway, meaning this could be a blessing in disguise. Other GMs may be comfortable taking Bailey without doing a pre-draft visit, but Jeff Peterson has a lot riding on this pick, and would probably like to have as much interaction as possible with the guy he wants to take fourth overall.

There have been a lot of good things being said about Duke guard Kon Knueppel and his fit in Charlotte, but Texas' Tre Johnson and Kahman Maluach should also be in consideration, even more so than Bailey. Ideally, VJ Edgecombe is their guy, but it's hard to imagine he gets past Philadelphia at the moment.

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