Despite falling to fifth in the 2025 NBA Draft, Ace Bailey continues to draw attention due to his chaotic behavior. He seemingly tanked his own draft stock to keep the Philadelphia 76ers from picking him third. He got his wish. Well, sort of.
Bailey reportedly only wanted to play for teams outside of the top five, with the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, or Brooklyn Nets being possible landing spots. He even reportedly told the Jazz not to draft him. Of course, Jazz team president Danny Ainge drafted him and now holds all the cards in the Bailey situation.
"The Jazz are not going to be trading Ace Bailey. If he's playing in the NBA, he's playing for the Utah Jazz."@ShamsCharania shares an update regarding Ace Bailey and the Jazz ✍️ (via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/Uj0VWM5CsP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 27, 2025
"They will absolutely not budge on this and eventually, Ace Bailey is going to be a Utah Jazz. We'll just see how long it takes for him and his representation to figure that out." 👀
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 27, 2025
—@WindhorstESPN on the Jazz drafting Ace Bailey pic.twitter.com/bzDivNnzG2
Ainge picking arguably the third-best player in the draft with the fifth pick, regardless of whether he wants to play there or not, is classic Ainge. By doing so, it puts Bailey in an awkward spot.
Will Ace Bailey refuse to play for the Utah Jazz?
Bailey can't hold out, considering that if he refuses to play with Utah, then they will still hold his draft rights and will be under no obligation to trade him to another team. That means that his career could be over unless he agrees to suit up for the Jazz.
While the situation used to be relatively common in the NFL, it hasn't happened in the NBA in a long time. Especially with the advent of rookie-scale contracts. That gave teams much more control of players at the beginning of their careers.
If and when Bailey reports to the Jazz and signs his rookie contract, he will be under contract for at least the first four seasons of his career. And if he lives up to his potential, he could receive a rookie max contract, which could be upwards of $200 million.
The Utah Jazz hold all of the cards in the Ace Bailey situation
That's a lot of money to turn down, and no player has ever turned down that sort of money in the NBA. Bailey may not want to play in Utah, but if he pans out, then he might have plenty of incentive to want to make things work.
All told, Bailey tried to force his way to his team of choice but failed after Ainge drafted him. Bailey may not want to play in Utah, but he has zero leverage since they would hold his draft rights even if he were to sit out. Therefore, Bailey may have to make the best of his situation, which is what the Jazz are betting on.