After the NBA Finals wrapped up, fans and organizations alike finally put punctuation on the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. The offseason, however, has only just begun. The draft is tomorrow night, and though there may not be enough time to crunch a lot of tape on the top prospects, this is still an event that fans are going to want to watch.
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It has already been an eventful start. Desmond Bane was traded to the Orlando Magic last week, and just two days ago, Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets. Jrue Holiday and Anfernee Simons were the centerpieces of a deal between the Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers last night.
One of the most interesting subplots surrounding the draft isn’t top prospect Cooper Flagg, who we know is going No. 1 to the Mavericks, or Dylan Harper, who looks like a lock to go No. 2 to the San Antoio Spurs. It’s Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey, who has employed an interesting pre-draft strategy.
Despite being considered one of the top prospects available, he canceled his workouts with every team. Paul George, whose Sixers have the third pick, had some thoughts on Bailey’s decision, and he shared them on the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George.
“If I’m Ace Bailey, I can’t get mad if my stock drops,” George said, and he’s right. This is a weird move for someone who, for much of the college basketball season, was thought of as the third-ranked prospect behind Flagg and Harper.
George responded to the rumor that Bailey wants to be drafted by a team that will make him the first option, and he didn’t hold back. “You’re not in a position to be making those demands,” George said. “Make it to the league first.”
As someone who hosts a player podcast, George is in an interesting spot here, especially since the Sixers have the third pick and scouted Bailey thoroughly even though he would be potentially be PG’s replacement if Philadelphia re-centers their roster around Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey.
Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has always been a guy who prioritizes star power, so if he deems Bailey the best talent available, he won’t hesitate to make the pick.
We saw how some negative pre-draft publicity caused Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to plummet all the way to the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Could Bailey suffer a similar fate, or will a team overlook his strange behavior and bet on his talent? It won’t be long until we find out.
