The NBA draft has just concluded. And one of the names that made headlines is that of Ace Bailey. Already, he was in the news following his pre-draft antics. Bailey opted to skip the workouts and also had a controversial back-and-forth with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, in a brand new revelation, yet another surprising update regarding Bailey has been unearthed.
Washington and Charlotte planned to swap picks to allow the Wizards to draft Ace Bailey, but the Hornets were afraid that Kon Knueppel would be gone by pick No. 6, per ESPN pic.twitter.com/9Ix5hpM4AE
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 26, 2025
Ultimately, Ace Bailey was drafted by the Utah Jazz as the No. 5 pick. However, there’s an interesting backstory to the same. As per reports from ESPN,’ the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets planned to swap their draft picks. This would allow the Wizards to draft Bailey. However, the Hornets were too afraid about possibly losing Kon Kneuppel if they waited till No. 6.
Surely, this was quite an interesting series of incidents. And this was not the only incident involving Ace Bailey that made the headlines. A bizarre request from Bailey’s agents also had the internet reeling.
Ace Bailey’s Agents Asked A Top 5 Team To Skip The Youngster
Recent reports from ESPN stated that Ace Bailey’s agents asked a top 5 team to refrain from drafting him. The report also detailed how Bailey would not turn up if that were not the case. Such a statement made ripples and caused teams like the Charlotte Hornets to pass on the opportunity.
Ace Bailey’s agent reportedly informed one top-5 team if Bailey was selected, he would not report. 😳
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) June 26, 2025
per @DraftExpress pic.twitter.com/3MSYWMm4Yu
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Interestingly, the Utah Jazz drafting him was also quite a surprise. That’s because Bailey did not have Jazz in his preference list. The Rutgers star listed the Wizards, Pelicans, and the Nets as his go to teams. However, having been scooped up by the Jazz, Bailey pointed out that there were certain things that he didn’t have control over. Thus, with things looking a bit complicated, it remains to be seen what happens next.
