Ace Bailey's Agent Reportedly is Eyeing East Coast in NBA Draft Amid 76ers Rumors

There is reportedly a belief within the NBA that Ace Bailey's agent, Omar Cooper, is trying to ensure he lands with an East-Coast team in the 2025 NBA draft.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, an anonymous NBA executive said they think Bailey's agency wants him to play "somewhere between Atlanta and New York."

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Shams Charania reported that Bailey was supposed to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, but he canceled on Wednesday. League sources told Pompey that they believe the cancellation was a result of Bailey's camp wanting the Sixers to commit to taking him third overall prior to the workout.

Bailey is the only draft prospect based in the United States who has yet to take part in a private workout with a team, and an NBA exec told Pompey they believe Bailey will fall in the draft because of the way his agency has handled things.

At the start of the 2024-25 college basketball season, many viewed Bailey as being neck and neck with Duke's Cooper Flagg for the distinction of the top freshman in college basketball and the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Bailey's one and only collegiate season at Rutgers was productive, as he averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 three-pointers made, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steal per game, while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc.

However, the Scarlet Knights went a highly disappointing 15-17 and didn't come close to reaching the NCAA tournament.

Also, Bailey was outperformed by one of his own teammates, as freshman guard Dylan Harper racked up 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 three-pointers made and 1.4 steals per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent shooting from deep.

On top of that, Flagg became only the fourth freshman in history to win the Naismith Men's College Basketball Player of the Year Award after leading Duke with 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per contest.

As a result, Flagg is widely viewed as a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks, and Harper may be a lock as well to go second overall to the San Antonio Spurs.

That leaves the Sixers with a decision to make at No. 3, and while Bailey may be the highest-upside play, the pre-draft process has perhaps raised some red flags.

In his latest mock draft released June 3, Bleacher Report NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman still had Bailey going third overall to Philly.

However, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo had him falling to the Washington Wizards at No. 6 overall in their newest mock published Tuesday.

If Bailey does indeed fall past No. 3, he would have the potential to become one of the biggest steals of the draft. Bailey stands 6'8", is an excellent shooter and has one of the best offensive skill sets in the draft.

He also has a long wingspan, which suggests he could develop into a high-end defender at the next level as well.

Provided Flagg and Harper are indeed locked in as the top two picks, the June 25 draft will truly begin with pick No. 3, as fans will wait with bated breath to see if the Sixers go with Bailey or opt for another prospect such as Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Texas' Tre Johnson or Duke's Kon Knueppel or Khaman Maluach.