Why Ace Bailey going to the Jazz is actually the best thing for him

USA Today

8 hours ago

Jonathan Givony: "[Utah] was not one of his preferred destinations... was hoping to get to either Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn... a stunner, but if you think about it, this is an outstanding place for Ace Bailey."Bobby Marks: "I give Utah a lot of credit here..." #NBA pic.twitter.com/IQJoNzgwlm
The biggest question mark of the first round of the NBA Draft was no doubt Ace Bailey and where the talented Rutgers forward would land. Once touted as the third-best prospect in the draft, Bailey's stock tumbled as he seemed to shun the pre-draft process, becoming the only U.S.-based prospect not to visit any teams.
In the end, though, his slide didn't last too long, as the Utah Jazz scooped him up at No. 5, taking a chance on the best player on the board despite Bailey clearly having a different destination in mind. And it might be the best thing to happen to him.
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The way Bailey declined to visit with teams and reportedly nixed the one he had scheduled with the Philadelphia 76ers gave off a real sense of entitlement. He wasn't even the top player in the draft, yet the 18-year-old seemed to be trying to dictate where he would go. ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported that Bailey's camp informed interested teams that he viewed himself as a top-three player and wanted a situation where there was a clear path to stardom. It was one of the oddest pre-draft strategies I can remember, and it did cost him.
If there was any chance the Sixers were going to take Bailey with the No. 3 pick, his fall to No. 5 will potentially cost him over $9 million on the NBA rookie scale, according to Spotrac. The Jazz taking him where they did prevented that from being a bigger pay cut. But while that seemed to be a sacrifice Bailey seemed willing to make to get what he wanted, he may find Utah can provide the same things.
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The Jazz are a young, re-building team in need of a star to be their new face. Additionally, they may not be very far from winning, with recent draft picks in place to start turning things around, including lottery picks Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks. If you ignore, the whole "Utah" part of it, everything Bailey could want is right there. But where Utah did Bailey the biggest favor is by not giving him what he wanted.
Can you just imagine if Bailey actually landed in one of his preferred destinations after the way he went about this process? His entitlement would have been validated. I doubt anyone in Washington or New Orleans or Brooklyn would have been able to tell him anything. He'd be bigger than the team at that point. In Utah, that's not the case. Just by taking him, the Jazz let him know up front his wants take a backseat to the team. It could completely backfire on them, but if he works hard and turns into the player he thinks he is, everyone should end up happy.
The Utah Mammoth also made a move
The Jazz weren't the only Utah team getting active on Wednesday night. The Mammoth also made a move, landing forward JJ Peterka in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres for Micheal Kesselring and Josh Doan.
We have acquired JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan.Peterka has been signed to a 5-year deal. pic.twitter.com/zvA3k1gUsN
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FTW's Charles Curtis graded the trade favorably for the Mammoth, who are heading in the right direction as they enter their second year: "The Mammoth are building something really good here. They've got a great core with names like Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev. Now? They added some firepower at the wing with Peterka without giving up a ton."
White Sox stand with Ketel Marte
Every team wants a passionate fanbase, but there's a line where that passion can go too far, which is what happened with one Chicago White Sox fan whose words about Ketel Marte's late mother left the Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman in tears during Tuesday's game.
Thankfully, the White Sox and MLB took swift action. The fan, who was removed immediately after, has now been banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported Wednesday. The Sox further distanced themselves from the fan by posting a message on their scoreboard during Wednesday's game that said "the White Sox community supports Ketel Marte."
We're with you, @ketel_marte4 🫶 pic.twitter.com/1F7j5fFz8K
Good for them.
DeWanna Bonner has something to say
The Indiana Fever and forward DeWanna Bonner completed their ugly split Wednesday, with the team waiving the forward after just nine games into what turned out to be a bad fit. Though it was certainly a tough lesson for the Fever, who went all-in to build a championship contender this offseason, Bonner didn't come out of this messy situation looking the most pristine either. That's likely why the 37-year-old went out of her way Thursday morning to let people to know she isn't a quitter.
In an Instagram post, Bonner said "A QUITTER!! Nah never been that!!" She added, "Let's just make sure the apologies, are just as loud as the disrespect!!"
A post shared by DeWanna Bonner (@dewannabonner)
Whatever went on behind the scenes, it seems it was best for both parties to go their separate ways. Unfortunately, the Fever now have a new Caitlin Clark injury to manage. Yikes.
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