Why did the Jazz draft Ace Bailey? Utah takes swing on Rutgers star's scoring upside at No. 5 overall

After a ton of pre-draft controversy over where Ace Bailey would land, he's heading to Utah.

The Jazz selected the Rutgers star with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday, a somewhat surprising selection considering the off-court concerns that surrounded Bailey in recent weeks.

Some reports indicated that Bailey wanted to land with an East Coast team, such as the Nets or Wizards, but Utah went through with its pick anyway, taking a swing on the wing's high ceiling as a scorer.

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Here's why the Jazz chose to select Bailey despite all the rumors that followed him in the pre-draft process.

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Why did the Jazz draft Ace Bailey?

Ultimately, Utah chose to do something that the 76ers and Hornets did not: take a chance on Bailey's upside despite reports indicating he did not want to play for them. 

Throughout the pre-draft process, Bailey canceled a workout with Philadelphia, which owned the No. 3 pick, despite many analysts considering him the third-best prospect in the draft. Rumors also began swirling online Wednesday that Bailey's camp informed both the Hornets and Jazz that he did not want to be selected by either team.

However, those rumors also haven't entirely been proven true. Some of them stemmed from ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony speculating on The Hoop Collective podcast that Bailey did not want to play in Charlotte or Utah, not reporting that his camp said so. Givony reposted the following tweet on Wednesday, rejecting the idea that he reported Bailey's camp denied the Hornets and Jazz:

— r/CharlotteHornets on Reddit (@HornetsReddit) June 25, 2025

Even with no full confirmation that Bailey did not want to be in Charlotte or Utah, there was still a consensus among reporters that the Rutgers star was still not eyeing either team. He reportedly did not work out for any teams in the pre-draft process, including the Jazz, with insider Jake Fischer reporting that Bailey even declined an invitation from Utah. This led to many mock drafts projecting Bailey to land in Washington or Brooklyn.

Then, after Bailey was drafted on Wednesday, Givony said on ESPN's broadcast that Utah was "not one of his preferred destinations."

"Ace Bailey did not work out for a single NBA team. He's the only U.S. prospect that declined to do so. This was not one of his preferred destinations, Utah. He was hoping to get to either Washington, New Orleans or Brooklyn," Givony said. "The Utah Jazz selected Bailey knowing that. This is a little bit of a stunner, but if you think about it, this is an outstanding place for Ace Bailey."

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 26, 2025

All of that is to make the point: Bailey appears very likely to not be enamored with the idea of landing with the Jazz. So, why did they take him?

The answer lies in his basketball talents alone — Bailey has been regarded as arguably the best pure scorer in the 2025 draft, with the length to get buckets around the rim and shooting touch from all over the floor. The Jazz, coming off a rough 17-win season, need as many franchise centerpieces as they can get. 

Utah comes into the offseason with trade speculation throughout its roster, including Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, and Lauri Markkanen. While the Jazz do have some solid players, they also have yet to identify a true star among their young core, especially those under the age of 23. 

Cody Williams was their 2024 first-round pick, Taylor Hendricks went in the first round in 2023, and Keyonte George has developed into a nice piece in their guard rotation, but none of those players quite have the ceiling of Bailey. 

Assuming the former Rutgers star will settle with his new team contently, Bailey gives Utah a potential future star, especially on the offensive end, that will have plenty of on-ball opportunities to grow as the Jazz move forward with their rebuild. Bailey has even earned comparisons to All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Paul George, offering potential as a three-level scorer and defender:

After drafting Jayson Tatum as a front office member of the Boston Celtics, Austin Ainge selects Ace Bailey, who he's hoping to help develop into the next Utah Jazz all-star. pic.twitter.com/RCRGVDqle8

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 26, 2025

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Will the Jazz trade Ace Bailey?

All indications as of Wednesday are that Utah drafted Bailey to keep him. 

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported that the Jazz are keeping the 6-foot-7 wing, with the team's president of basketball operations, Austin Ainge, telling him that they "really like Ace Bailey as a player and a fit in our program."

Fischer also reported that there was no trade involving Bailey after the Jazz drafted him. Despite the reports of Bailey's disinterest in Utah, the team looks likely to keep him around.

MORE: How Rutgers finished with a losing record despite owning Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey

Projecting Jazz starting lineup with Ace Bailey

The fit between Bailey and the Jazz will be intriguing, especially depending how Utah goes through the rest of the offseason with its trade candidates.

While the Jazz roster could certainly change in the coming weeks and months, here's how Bailey could slide into the team's starting lineup for 2025-26:

• G Collin Sexton
• G Keyonte George
• F Lauri Markkanen
• F Ace Bailey
• C Walker Kessler

MORE: What to know about Ace Bailey's agent

Ace Bailey Rutgers stats

Here's a look at Bailey's numbers over his lone season at Rutgers:

Games	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	FG%	3P%	FT%
30	33.4	17.6	7.2	1.3	1.0	1.3	2.0	2.8	46.0%	34.6%	69.2%