During the run-up to the 2025 NBA Draft, most of the draft hopefuls were invited to work out with multiple teams. Some players took advantage of every opportunity, travelling state to state to prove their worth to general managers and coaches. One top pick, however, opted to take a dramatically different approach.
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According to reports, Ace Bailey, one of the more highly touted hoopers in the Draft outside of Cooper Flagg, turned down an invitation to work out for the Utah Jazz, who held the No. 5 pick. Bailey also reportedly canceled a scheduled workout with the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to several NBA insiders, he may be the first American player ever to skip all pre-draft workouts. Despite the raised eyebrows, Jazz team CEO Danny Ainge made the bold move to select him.
Over the past few days, voices across the league have reacted to Bailey’s unorthodox decision, including Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. The four-time NBA champion offered Bailey some straight talk and honest advice.
On The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, when his co-host asked if Bailey had hurt himself, Green denied it. But he did not mince his words for the young player.
“I don’t necessarily think it hurt. It didn’t hurt [him]. [He] went five. Whooptie-[expletive]-do,” said Green. “But you’re walking into the NBA with a strike, and I think that’s what’s most important to understand.”
Draymond would know. Though his “strike” didn’t come before the Draft, his fiery on-court reputation has brought its set of “strikes”. And he understands better than most that perception can follow a player around for years.
“You’re walking in with a question mark on your character. You’re walking in with a question mark on work ethic,“ Green said. “You’re walking in with a question mark on your camp.”
To NBA front offices, optics matter — especially to a franchise like the Jazz, which leans heavily on locker-room culture. Draymond’s warning wasn’t about drama, for drama’s sake. It was about long-term survival in a league that can be brutal to those who don’t fit in.
Ace Bailey is now a hot name in the 2025 NBA Draft storylines, but how long he stays in the headlines for the right reasons will depend on what happens next.
Draymond offered a blueprint that Ace should follow: “Be the first in the gym. Don’t go into the organization causing any problems,” he said. “Go into the organization knowing that [there are] some guys that have been there before you [and] you can learn from them.”
Bailey’s talent is obvious, and nobody doubts his game. But Green’s message was clear: The league won’t care about what you did at Rutgers [Read: Not much].
“I ain’t saying go bow down to anybody,” added the Warriors star. “But know that it’s some guys that know more than you, that you can learn from. Go in there and be a great rookie. That doesn’t mean don’t go play great. Go be a great rookie.”
That includes respecting veterans, putting the team first, and understanding the business side of things. For someone skipping workouts, that business might already be watching closely.
Green had some additional warning for the 18-year-old power forward. “This league will move on from you fast,“ he warned. “But just know what you [are] up against and go prove everybody wrong. That’s what it boils down to.”
His closing line landed like a punch to the gut but with love: “Welcome to the league. Congratulations on all your hard work. But now the real work starts. Staying in the league is even tougher.”
The ball is now in Bailey’s court. And thanks to Ainge, he’s got the platform. But in a league where the microscope never blinks, how he handles it might define his entire career.
