Ace Bailey has a unique approach to his NBA Draft workouts.
He isn’t doing any.
Bailey, a projected top-three pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, cancelled a Friday workout with the Sixers two days before it was supposed to happen. The Sixers own the No. 3 pick in the draft. The news was first reported by ESPN.
But the organization shouldn’t take the cancellation personally. Bailey, who played basketball at Rutgers, is the only U.S.-based prospect who hasn’t worked out for any teams, according to ESPN.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper (who played with Bailey at Rutgers) are the projected top two picks. Each visited with the Mavericks and Spurs, the teams that respectively hold the top two picks. Bailey is considered the most talented prospect after Flagg and Harper, but has a draft range as high as No. 3 and as low as No. 8 partially because of the way he’s handled the pre-draft process.
From a financial standpoint, Bailey would lose money by falling out of the draft’s top three. The No. 3 pick in the draft is projected to sign a four-year contract worth $50 million. If he fell to eighth, his deal would be roughly $20 million smaller.
Bailey’s agent is Omar Cooper of Life Style Sports, according to realGM. Cooper has only three clients including Bailey, none of whom are in the NBA, while Flagg is represented by CAA and Harper by William Morris Endeavor. Bailey’s camp has told teams they believe he’s a top-three player in the draft, but wants “a clear path to stardom,” according to ESPN, and is seeking a situation that will give him immediate playing time and the ability to reach his full potential. One NBA executive told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Bailey’s camp wants him to be selected by an East Coast team.
The wishes and reality of Bailey’s situation aren’t exactly aligned, as the teams with the first three selections all have playoff aspirations this coming season, which don’t always correlate with immediate playing time for a rookie, talent aside. Bailey appears to want to go in the top three, but not to the current options. His camp believes that teams selecting below the top three could trade up to select him, ESPN reported.
Bailey could still be selected by a team against his preference—he has a few options. He could become a rookie free agent, re-enter the draft the following year, or sign with a non-NBA team. All three options would cost him a lot of money. But his predraft strategy may have already done that, too.
