Ace Bailey Says He Never Considered Not Reporting to Jazz After NBA Draft Rumors

First-round pick Ace Bailey just wrapped up his first full press conference with the Utah Jazz following the 2025 NBA draft.

Bailey told reporters that he never considering not coming to Utah after he was selected with the No. 5 overall pick (1:30 mark of the Jazz's press conference).

Bailey also explained why he immediately came to the gym after arriving in Utah.

"I was excited to see what the practice facility was like," Bailey said, via Ben Anderson of KSL Sports. "It's great scenery. As soon as I got off the plane, I didn't think the mountains was real. I mean, it was so beautiful."

"I trust my work, I put in countless hours in the gym," he added, per SLC Dunk.

Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge told reporters that the first round of the 2025 draft, in which Utah came away with Bailey and Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., was a "dream scenario" for the team.

Bailey's dog was also in attendance at the press conference, sporting a Jazz bandana.

Bailey's tenure with the Jazz hasn't gotten off on the right foot because the biggest story from the moment they picked him was whether he wanted to be in Salt Lake City at all.

The former Rutgers star said in his brief presser on draft night he had "no idea" Utah was interested in him.

Those comments somewhat elide the truth because ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported the team unsuccessfully tried to line up a workout, only for Bailey to decline. Givony subsequently reported on the draft broadcast that Utah "was not one of his preferred destinations."

Per Givony and ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps, Bailey's camp went so far as to tell one team with a top-five pick "they didn't want that team to select the Rutgers wing and that he wouldn't report if it did."

Omar Cooper, Bailey's agent, maintained that "there is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey's predraft process was handled."

"Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago," Cooper said. "He did 18 interviews. Everyone got his medical. They watched him run and jump. They got his measurements.

"No one said anything when Davion Mitchell canceled a workout with the Toronto Raptors. No one criticized Evan Mobley when he didn't work out for Cleveland, and they drafted him anyway."

The comparison to Mobley could be particularly instructive. His agent reportedly told the Cleveland Cavaliers not to take him ahead of the 2021 NBA draft. The Cavs did anyway and Mobley grew content enough to sign a five-year, $269.1 million extension.

All of the drama surrounding Bailey right now could become a footnote in both his NBA career and his tenure in Utah.

As expected, he and the team hit all of the right notes during Sunday's press conference, and this is a setting in which a young player can thrive. The Jazz are still early into their full rebuild, which will ease the pressure on Bailey and allow for him to occupy a high-usage role.

Nobody will be all that shocked if he emerges as the cornerstone of the franchise's long-term future.