With most NBA training camps set to open next week, Utah Jazz rookie Airious “Ace” Bailey is creating more drama, according to multiple reports, after branding himself as the biggest drama magnet of the NBA Draft back on June 25.
The Jazz selected the 6-foot-8 Rutgers forward â who no less an authority than future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant had described as “a pure, pure talent” â with the fifth overall pick â despite the fact that Bailey refused to work out for Jazz scouts, or for representatives of any other team, ahead of the draft. He did sit for an interview with Jazz officials at the NBA’s pre-draft combine, however.
Now, according to a report by Utah correspondent Tony Jones of The Athletic, Bailey has “parted ways” with his manager Omar Cooper who, per Jones’ report, advised Bailey to refuse pre-draft workouts with any teams owning top five picks.
Bailey a Polarizing Figure For Scouts
Considered one of the the most talented players in college basketball last season, Bailey was expected to be picked somewhere in the top five â after consensus No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg who was picked in that spot by the Dallas Mavericks.
But according to a report by The New York Post, Bailey was a polarizing fighter among NBA talent evaluators.
“Scouts, executives and players who see him who are unsure what to make of his future,” wrote veteran Post NBA reporter Brian Lewis. “Many look and see an All-Star waiting to happen, the kind of player who makes his general manager look like a genius. But a few look and see a possible bust, the sort who gets a GM fired.”
Instead it appears to be Bailey who has cut ties with his own representatives who, according to the Athletic report, got him into the draft drama in the first place.
ESPN.com even reported that Cooper’s reps warned at least one top five draft team that if it picked Bailey he would not report to training camp.
Bailey Shows Up in Utah Without Incident
Ultimately, after the Jazz picked the then-18-year-old Bailey (he turned 19 on August 13) at No. 5, he reported to the NBA’s summer league without incident. Bailey played two games for the Jazz team in the Salt Lake City Summer League, recording a combined 26 points and 14 assists.
But he missed the final two games with what the team described as “hip flexor soreness.” He showed up at the Las Vegas Summer League but did not play due to the injury.
Manager Said to Want Bailey to Join Wizards
According to The Athletic, Cooper wanted his client to be selected by the Washington Wizards, for reasons that remain not entirely clear, with the No. 6 pick.
“Cooperâs son, Sharife, recently signed with the Washington Wizards on a two-way contract. In the pre-draft process, Cooper advised Bailey not to work out for any of the teams that owned a top-five pick,” Jones reported on Wednesday. “The wide belief is that Cooper wanted Bailey to land with the Wizards, who owned the No. 6 pick.”
The Wizards finished the 2024-2025 NBA season with a mere 18 wins. That was the second-worst record in the league behind Utah who won only 17. Other than those two teams, only the Charlotte Hornets with 19 wins failed to reach at least 20 victories last season.
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