Going into the 2025 NBA Draft, Utah Jazz star Ace Bailey was one of the most polarizing prospects. A lot of that was due to his pre-draft process.
Bailey was not working out for teams ahead of the draft. Interest in seeing the former Rutgers forward was high, considering he was regarded as a top 3 talent.
Omar Cooper, Bailey’s former agent, was representing the incoming rookie at the time. Cooper later took a lot of heat for Bailey’s pre-draft process, as some of the decisions made seemingly affected his draft stock.
Before the combine, Bailey was viewed as the favorite to land with the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3. Bailey infamously accepted a workout with the Sixers before later canceling on the team. He also declined Utah’s invite.
Bailey was passed up on by the 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets at No. 4, after Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knueppel were selected. The Jazz took the risk and selected Bailey anyway. He would later cut ties with Cooper.
Ace Bailey Makes A Big Personal Decision
Following his rookie season, Ace Bailey has found a new agency.
On Tuesday, the prominent agency, Klutch Sports Group, announced that Bailey will be joining their team.
Klutch is home to some of the biggest names in the NBA.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Tyrese Maxey, and Zach LaVine to name a few.
Did Ace Bailey Meet Early Expectations?
Although it seemed that Bailey didn’t want to land in Utah, the former Rutgers star certainly embraced his opportunity there in year one.
The 19-year-old appeared in 72 games, starting in 61 of those matchups. Seeing the court for 27.6 minutes per game, Bailey shot 44.3% from the field and hit on 34.4% of his threes, to produce 13.8 points per game.
Bailey also came down with 4.2 rebounds per game, and dished out 1.8 assists per matchup.
While Bailey wasn’t in the Rookie of the Year running, the forward still showed plenty of promise. He has high expectations attached to his sophomore effort.
Utah Jazz’s Ace Bailey Makes Personal Decision After Rookie Year