Windhorst Says Jazz 'Absolutely Will Not Budge' on Ace Bailey amid NBA Draft Rumors

Ace Bailey may be fighting a losing battle if he wants to avoid beginning his NBA career with the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz selected Bailey with the fifth pick in the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday despite reports that Utah wasn't Bailey's "preferred destination." He also reportedly told one team picking in the top five that he "wouldn't report" if they selected him.

It has not been confirmed or denied that Utah was that team. On Friday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on Get Up that the Jazz will "not budge" if pressured by Bailey's camp and that he will begin his career with the team.

"They will absolutely not budge on this, and eventually, Ace Bailey is going to be a Utah Jazz," Windhorst said. "We'll just see how long it takes for him and his representation to figure that out."

Bailey was a consensus high-end talent heading into the draft, but he may have lost some leverage due to his refusal to work out for teams. He ended up going fifth, but he had been projected to be a top-three selection earlier in the process.

"The Utah Jazz drafted him with the No. 5 pick after he declined to work out for them," Windhorst said on SportsCenter (h/t NJ.com). “And the Jazz were very excited to welcome him to Utah over the weekend, and that hasn’t happened yet. So he did not go there.

"Their other first-round pick, Walter Clayton Jr., flew to Utah on Thursday and is getting ready to go. Ace Bailey did not, and there’s been minimal contact with him and the team."

Bailey spent his lone collegiate season at Rutgers and averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30 games. He was named All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman for his efforts despite a 15-17 season for the Scarlet Knights.

Bailey was the second Rutgers player off the board after Dylan Harper went second to the San Antonio Spurs. He will join a Utah team that went 17-65 and finished with the worst record in the NBA in 2024-25.