Why did Ace Bailey part ways with Omar Copper? Exploring possible reasons for fallout

Ace Bailey of the Utah Jazz has ended his association with manager Omar Cooper ahead of his rookie season. Bailey was one of the top prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, but his stock fell a little bit after he didn't work out with any teams. The Jazz still picked him fifth and signed him to a contract.

The Athletic's Tony Jones first reported Bailey's decision to part ways with Cooper. The rookie is looking for a new agent, though it's unclear why he parted ways with his former manager a week before training camp begins.

Let's explore the potential reasons why Ace Bailey decided to cut his ties with Omar Cooper. The pre-draft workout fiasco affected Bailey's draft stock, which meant he fell from being a possible third pick to the fifth pick.

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The consensus among fans and analysts was that Cooper was giving bad advice to Bailey. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported on Monday that the team Bailey's camp wanted was the Washington Wizards.

For what it's worth, Cooper's son, Sharife, was signed by the Wizards despite not being in the NBA since playing 13 games as a rookie for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021-22 season.

Another source of possible trouble was when Omar tried to get his son, Omar Jr., into the Jazz's coaching staff in the Summer League. The NBA even blocked the move, as per ESPN's Tim McMahon.

However, the most concerning issue with Omar Sr. was his post-draft video showing off his watch and jewelry on social media. Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported that the manager wanted to get paid if he was doing in-person interviews, which put the rookie in harm's way in terms of fans and critics.

Ace Bailey played two games in the Salt Lake City Summer League, but he skipped the entire Las Vegas Summer League because of a hip injury. Bailey's camp has been fairly quiet since then, but the recent report by Marc Stein about his desire to get drafted by the Washington Wizards put him back in the spotlight.

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NBA executive compares Ace Bailey to superstar guard

NBA executive compares Ace Bailey to superstar guard. (Photo: IMAGN)

Despite starting his career on the wrong foot, one Eastern Conference executive likened Ace Bailey's potential to that of Anthony Edwards. The anonymous exec told ESPN why Bailey would be the best player of the 2025 NBA draft in five years.

"He reminds me a lot of Anthony Edwards (entering the league)," the exec said. "Super talented, but a lot of questions. But the ease with which he creates shots at his size is something you can't teach."

It will be interesting to see if Bailey can get things going in his first season with the Utah Jazz. He'll likely get a lot of opportunities given the status of the Jazz's roster.

Edited by Juan Paolo David