Ace Bailey Prefers Three Teams Over Utah Jazz in NBA Draft

According to DraftExpress’s Jonathan Givony on ESPN Bet Live, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey has three preferred destinations to land on draft night: the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn …

It appears one of this year’s top NBA draft prospects has a reported preferred list of teams he’d like to be selected by during Wednesday night’s first round– one that does not include the Utah Jazz among the mix of three.

According to DraftExpress’s Jonathan Givony on ESPN Bet Live, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey has three preferred destinations to land on draft night: the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets, ultimately predicting the top prospect winds up with the Wizards at sixth overall.

“We have Ace Bailey six right now to Washington,” Givony said. “That is what we understand to be one of his preferred destinations. Six, seven or eight; Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn. He has declined invites from Philadelphia at three, Charlotte at four, and Utah at five.”

However, despite Bailey’s potential list of desired spots to end up, Givony reports that “rumblings” of either the Jazz or the Charlotte Hornets could still opt to take him with their selection.

“But today, we started hearing some rumblings that one of those teams at four or five could just decide to take Ace Bailey at their pick, regardless, potentially for a trade. Maybe one of those teams for six, seven, or eight tries to make an aggressive move… I could really see Ace Bailey anywhere from that four through six range right now.”

Bailey has been perhaps the most talked about prospect in the days leading up to this year’s draft, simply due to the turbulence surrounding his draft stock and pre-draft decisions to skip workouts with all of those in the top-five, including the Jazz. And it seems part of that was with an intent to find down to six or further to go to his ideal destination.

But even without coming to Utah for a workout, those aforementioned rumblings hint that Bailey looks to be well within play to get picked up at five.

Bailey has been among a short list of potential fits for the Jazz at fifth-overall, one that includes Duke’s Kon Knueppel, Texas’ Tre Johnson, and Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears. It’s far from a guarantee that the Rutgers star even drops to five, but if he does, the sheer upside and offensive potential he has could be enough to sway this Utah front office to take a chance on what may be the riskiest prospect in the lottery.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) looks on during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jersey Mike's Arena

Feb 12, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) looks on during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

During his one season at Rutgers, the 6-foot-9 wing averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 46.0% shooting from the field and 34.6% from three. His appeal at the next level is undeniable, even with a few red flags. For a team in the Jazz’s position, taking a home run swing on a high-risk, high-reward guy like Bailey might be the best route to go, if available at pick five.

The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft starts on Wednesday, June 25th at 6 PM MT.

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Source: Utah News