The Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Brooklyn Nets are all “interested” in moving up to select Rutgers star Ace Bailey in the 2025 NBA draft, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Ace Bailey’s Agent Wanted 76ers To Commit To Him
Next week’s NBA draft is expected to start with the No. 3 pick since the Dallas Mavericks will select Duke forward Cooper Flagg first, and the San Antonio Spurs are expected to take Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper second.
The third tier, depending on who you ask, could feature players like Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel and potentially Jeremiah Fears, Khaman Maluach, and Derik Queen.
Multiple league sources said Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, wanted the Philadelphia 76ers to commit to him before his scheduled Friday workout.
However, Pompey reported that one league executive believes “Bailey, once a consensus top-three pick, probably will drop in the draft because of his agency’s tactics.”
Another league executive says Bailey’s representatives want him to remain on the East Coast in the NBA and playing “somewhere between Atlanta and New York,” per Pompey.
Sources say Bailey’s camp has also reportedly informed interested teams that the Chattanooga native hopes to “find a situation with ample minutes and usage to maximize his full potential,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jonathan Givony.
Sixers Willing To Trade No. 3 Pick In 2025 NBA Draft
The Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets own the No. 6, No. 7, and No. 8 overall selections in the 2025 draft, respectively. Philadelphia owns the No. 3 pick, but the team is reportedly open to trading the pick.
“League sources believe the Sixers are interested in trading the pick for the right deal. Publicly, the team hasn’t ruled out picking Bailey. The Sixers scouted several Rutgers games this season and interviewed the 18-year-old at last month’s NBA draft combine in Chicago. So they have a pretty good idea of how his talents will translate,” Pompey wrote.
Bailey, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound guard/forward, was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class. During his senior year of high school, he played in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit.
In 30 games (all starts) with Rutgers during his freshman season, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 33.3 minutes per contest while shooting 46% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range.
He finished 14th in points (527) in the conference, 13th in total rebounds (215), 11th in blocks (38), and ninth in usage percentage (27.5%) before earning a Big Ten All-Freshman selection.
The first round of the 2025 NBA draft is this Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
