Rutgers forward Ace Bailey declared for the NBA Draft on Wednesday after one year of college. The 6-foot-10 wing is one of the top prospects in the 2025 class, though one who needs some development. Here are the best landing spots for the 18-year-old scoring phenom.
San Antonio Spurs
There are questions about Bailey’s defense, but a team with Victor Wembanyama playing center can make up for a lot of defensive deficiencies other places on the floor. Wemby has also greatly improved his three-point production, making Bailey’s mid-range-heavy game (for now, at least) a better fit — San Antonio can wait for him to add distance to his jumper.
He will need to start defending better to earn playing time, but from a development and organizational perspective, it’s hard to imagine a better fit for a prospect who’s oozing with talent and simply needs refinement.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz’s three-year tanking effort may finally end after this season, especially with the team having a 52% chance at a top-four pick. Bailey will have plenty of runway in Salt Lake City, plus a solid NBA coach in Will Hardy who has been hampered by his organization’s preference for lottery chances over winning NBA games.
The Jazz have a large collection of young players who are on a similar timeline to Bailey, but not one of them is so talented or invaluable that they’d block him. He’ll have time to get stronger and improve his finishing but he has plenty of time to do that with the Jazz.
New Orleans Pelicans
A team built around Zion Williamson needs shooters, and Bailey is a good one, if inconsistent. Bailey slides in nicely to the forward spot vacated by the trade of Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors. The Pelicans have done an excellent job of developing young wing players recently, as seen by the ascension of Trey Murphy and Herb Jones to valuable players.
Plus, new head of basketball operations Joe Dumars should have enough job security that he can gamble on a raw talent like Bailey who might not contribute immediately.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers keep their draft pick if it’s in the top six, and they’d likely need to get a high pick to get a chance at Bailey. But after an injury-plagued season turned a team with championship aspirations into a lottery team, they’ll get a unique opportunity to add another young shooter alongside 24-year-old Tyrese Maxey and 21-year-old Jared McCain.
Considering the age and injury history of the 76ers, Bailey should get ample playing time, without the pressure of needing to perform. He wouldn’t need to lean on his questionable ball handling skills — though maybe he should hire his own trainer.
