Sixers Universe Doesn't Want Team To Draft Ace Bailey—Including The Governor

Forbes

5 hours ago

Ace Bailey is no slam dunk to land with the Philadelphia 76es in the NBA Draft. (Photo by Michael ...)
Ace Bailey's landing spot in the NBA 2025 Draft has been the subject of great recent speculation because of his seeming intransigence during the pre-draft process.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro brought the saga into the political arena when he made his feelings felt Monday.
Shapiro's Philadelphia 76ers have the third pick in the draft that begins Wednesday, and until recently were projected to take Bailey in most mock drafts. When Bailey turned down an invitation to work out for the 76ers last weekend, Shapiro apparently had had enough.
'I'm worried about Bailey," said Shapiro, a Sixers fan. 'If you're not coming to work out, then you've got something wrong here (points to his head). I've already sent a message about that.'
Shapiro intimated that has spoken to the Sixers about Bailey.
'I just don't like that,' Shapiro continued. "He's got great talent, great upside, but if you don't want to be here, if you're not dying to be here, I don't want you to be here.'
Paul George Questions Bailey's Tactics
Shapiro is the latest but not the only one in the Sixers' camp to express doubts about the 6-7 1-2 Bailey, who has not taken part any known pre-draft workouts, causing his stock to plummet despite his acknowledged talent.
Sixers forward Paul George used his Podcast P on Apple to question Bailey's pre-draft strategy. Bailey's camp has told teams they consider him a top-three pick.
'If I'm Ace Bailey, I can't get mad if my stock drops,' said George, who was acquired last season for what was expected to be a Sixers' playoff run that fizzled when Joel Embiid missed most of the season with an injury.
'He hasn't worked out for any team. But you're not in a position to be making those commands. Make it to the league first. It's for sure the people around him … I don't know who's representing him, but I don't think they're going about it the right way.'
Bailey is represented by Omar Cooper, whose son Sharife Cooper was selected in the second or round of the 2021 NBA draft after leaving Auburn following his freshman season. Cooper played 13 games with Atlanta in 2021-22 but has not appeared in the league since, spending time in the NBA G League and overseas in Greece, Turkey and France.
Bailey just completed his freshman year at Rutgers, where he averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots. Bailey's teammate, guard Dylan Harper, is projected to be the No. 2 pick to San Antonio on Wednesday.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Bailey's preferred destination is a team on the East Coast. Charlotte has the fourth pick in the first round, Washington has the sixth and Brooklyn has the eighth.
'Another league executive said (Cooper's) agency wants Bailey to remain on the East Coast and play somewhere between Atlanta and New York,' the Inquirer's Keith Pompey said.
He quoted sources as saying, 'the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans (seventh), and Brooklyn Nets are interested in moving up to take him.'
George criticized the route Bailey is taking.
'Guys have said, 'I would want to play here. I want to play there,'' George said 'That's fine. That's reasonable. Everybody has the cliche, 'Whoever drafts me.' That's the political.
'But of course, there are teams guys want to go to and he's not wrong for wanting to be a number one option. I'm with him all the way. But the way of going about it is just not right.'
Where Do the 76ers Turn?
Most mock drafts have Baylor 6-5 shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe going to the 76ers with the third pick.
His addition would lengthen a backcourt that includes point Tyrese Maxey and off guard Quentin Grimes. Both can score. Maxey averaged a career-high 26.3 points but missed 30 games of the season with a sprained right finger.
Tyrese Maxey is the guard the 76ers are building around. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
Grimes, the 25th selection in the 2021 draft after playing at Houston, came into his own after being acquired by the Sixers from Dallas on Feb. 4. He averaged 21.9 points in 28 games in his fourth season in the league, with his fourth team.
Grimes is a restricted free agent, which means the Sixers can match any offer sheet he receives from another team, and it seems unlikely that the 76ers will let him go.
Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals in his one season at Baylor, and he seems to fit general Daryl Morey's edict to become 'a younger, more dynamic group.'
An Indiana showed in its run to the NBA Finals, dynamic guards can make a difference.
Where Will Bailey Finally Land?
Pre-draft eccentricities aside, Bailey is one of the most athletically gifted players in the draft, as his numbers show. While Rutgers was only 15-17 with him and Harper last season, the rest of the Scarlet Knights added little.
Bailey could get his wish and land at No. 6 Washington, draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman said recently, because of the continuing buzz around Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, who could land with Charlotte or Utah (fifth pick).
ESPN also projects him to go to Washington.
The odds of Bailey being picked in the top five are -185, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.