Pelicans' Ace Bailey Interest Reportedly 'Overstated' amid 2025 NBA Draft Rumors

While Cooper Flagg is the headliner for the 2025 NBA draft, nobody is making more headlines than Ace Bailey.

And the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 7 reportedly might not be as realistic of a landing spot as once thought. 

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Thursday the Western Conference team's "interest in Bailey has been overstated … and that they have not been actively trying to climb the lottery ladder with Bailey in mind."

The entire situation around the Rutgers product has been a confusing one leading up to the draft.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Shams Charania reported Wednesday that he canceled a scheduled visit with the Philadelphia 76ers. That means he remains the only United States prospect who has not visited with a single team.

While Givony and Charania noted Philadelphia hasn't ruled out the possibility of selecting Bailey at No. 3 overall, they also reported his "predraft strategy has perplexed NBA teams over the past month."

They continued, adding, "Bailey's camp has informed interested teams that it believes he is a top-three player in the draft, but also seeks a clear path to stardom, hoping to find a situation with ample minutes and usage to maximize his full potential."

He might not go in the top three, but Fischer reported there is no expectation that Bailey will slide well down the draft board like Shedeur Sanders did during the NFL draft before the Cleveland Browns selected him in the fifth round.

At this point, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Bailey to go No. 6 overall to the Washington Wizards in his latest mock draft. If that ends up being the case, the Pelicans may not even have the opportunity to select the Rutgers product even if they did want him.