Top NBA Draft Prospect May Not Want to Play for Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz hold the fifth-overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, looming right around the corner next week, effectively giving this team a golden opportunity to add a top young prospect to their roster following a brutal 17-win season in the books.

However, it seems among the mix of the top prospects in this year's class, one name may not have a ton of interest in Utah: Rutgers' Ace Bailey.

According to Jeremy Woo of DraftExpress in ESPN's newest mock draft, Bailey has seen his draft stock in flux in recent weeks, but also seems to not have much interest in the Jazz.

"Bailey, who continues sliding down the board in this scenario, doesn’t appear to have much interest in Utah and is viewed by most teams as a riskier bet," wrote Woo.

Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) shoots the ball while USC Trojans guard Kevin Patton Jr. (8) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

In the months leading up to this summer's draft, Bailey was often viewed as a potential top-three pick with one of the highest ceilings in the class, but has now seen a bit of that status shift amid his pre-draft process.

The Rutgers wing has reportedly turned down multiple opportunities to work out, seemingly views himself as a top prospect in the class, and has been "unsatisfied with his search for a proven pathway to development," per Jonathan Givony. A once-certified top-three pick has now seen his stock fall as far as being the sixth pick in ESPN's new mock.

“He scares people because they don’t want to draft him, and also because they’re worried if they don’t draft him, he’s going to become a star and make them look very stupid.”

-Jonathan Givony on how NBA teams view Ace Bailey

pic.twitter.com/tiArBBKzBz
— RB (@RBPhillyTake) June 17, 2025

With Bailey's draft stock seemingly dipping, it does raise an interesting question for the Jazz if he falls into their laps at fifth overall. Do they decide to select him even with a reported lack of interest in Utah?

They could very well decide to do so, as this team has been eager to get their hands on a franchise cornerstone with a sky-high ceiling like Bailey since kickstarting their rebuild three summers ago, but it surely does add an interesting wrinkle into the mix, if he were to be in play at five.

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