Paul George Rips Ace Bailey Before NBA Draft, Says He's In No Position to Make Demands
One day before Ace Bailey could potentially be selected by the Philadelphia 76ers, Paul George criticized how the 18-year-old has handled things leading up to the 2025 NBA draft.
On the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George Presented by Wave Original (starts at 44:30 mark), George said if he were Bailey, "I can't get mad if my stock drops" because of the way he has approached the predraft process.
"You're not in a position to be making those demands," George said of Bailey's reported desire to land with a team that offers him a clear pathway to stardom.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Shams Charania reported on June 18 that NBA teams have been "perplexed" by Bailey's predraft strategy, which included no individual team visits.
Bailey was scheduled to have an in-person visit with the Sixers on June 20, but he canceled it two days ahead of time. Bailey's camp reportedly wanted a guarantee from 76ers officials that they would select him before he worked out, although NBA insider Jake Fischer later reported that was not the case.
Other rumors indicate his camp is attempting to control where he gets drafted.
One anonymous NBA executive told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer that they believe Bailey's representatives want him to end up on a team located "somewhere between Atlanta and New York."
It's probably not a coincidence that several cities within that wide area of the United States have NBA teams picking high in the draft, including the 76ers (No. 3 overall), Charlotte Hornets (No. 4), Washington Wizards (No. 6) and Brooklyn Nets (No. 8).
In his most recent mock draft for B/R, Jonathan Wasserman has the Hornets selecting Bailey to play alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
Wasserman did note the Sixers have been debating between Bailey and VJ Edgecombe, with Edgecombe's fit on their roster being the thing that gave him the advantage in the mock.
There's no indication the 76ers have taken Bailey off their board. It might be a little awkward in the building if they take him after George's comments, but the front office has to make the best decision to help get the team back on track after a disastrous 24-58 record this past season.
