What is Sixers prospect Ace Bailey looking for ahead of the NBA Draft?
The Philadelphia 76ers hold a lot of the cards in the 2025 NBA draft by holding the No. 3 pick. A lot of projections have Cooper Flagg going No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks and Dylan Harper going No. 2 to the San Antonio Spurs, but what is going on with the Sixers at No. 3?
There doesn't seem to be a clear idea of what the Sixers are doing with their pick. They can trade down and acquire more draft assets or they can trade up and try to select a guy like Harper at No. 2. The consensus seems to be that Rutgers star Ace Bailey should go No. 3 and he did have a workout scheduled with the Sixers, but he canceled it last minute ahead of the draft so one has to wonder what he is looking for.
Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bailey is looking for a number of things:
Multiple league sources said Bailey's agent, Omar Cooper, wanted the Sixers to commit to him before his scheduled Friday workout. One league executive believes that Bailey, once a consensus top-three pick, probably will drop in the draft because of his agency's tactics. Bailey remains the only American-based draft prospect to not visit any teams for a workout.
Another league executive said the agency wants Bailey to remain on the East Coast and play somewhere between Atlanta and New York.
It is important to note a couple of things here. First off, the Sixers are in that East Coast category that he is looking for as Philadelphia is settled between Atlanta and New York. Another one is just because he did not work out for the Sixers doesn't mean they won't select him. President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey selected Tyrese Maxey in 2020 and Jared McCain in 2024 without a workout from either player.
Bailey has a lot of question marks, but there is also a lot of upside. He can do so much on the floor in terms of scoring the ball whether he is able to take players off the dribble or knock down tough shots. The ability to make tough shots has been something that is attributed to his poor shot selection, and the criticism is that he can make those shots over college players, but it's different in the NBA. Either way, if he can tap into his potential, then he figures to be a full-time star in this league. So, he may be worth the risk at No. 3 regardless.
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