As the NBA Draft approaches, the league’s future stars are keeping an eye on which teams might select them. One of those prospects is 18-year-old Ace Bailey, a former Rutgers standout who’s projected to be a Top-5 pick. However, he is not making it easy for NBA teams to choose him.
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ESPN recently reported that Ace Bailey canceled his scheduled visit with the Philadelphia 76ers and is the only top U.S.-based prospect this year to decline invitations from multiple franchises. According to his camp, Bailey is positioning himself as a top-tier candidate who’s seeking a “clear path to stardom” and the opportunity to log meaningful minutes from the start.
Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson discussed the 18-year-old on a recent episode of Nightcap. Johnson suggested that the Charlotte Hornets could be a great landing spot, allowing Bailey to play alongside LaMelo Ball. Sharpe, however, thinks there’s no way Bailey would want that.
“That’s what he’s afraid of,” joked Sharpe. “He’s like, ‘I don’t want to get added to that.'” Johnson, though laughing, continued to make his case for Bailey joining the Hornets. “He’s gonna be able to put up them numbers that he probably thinking about putting up. With Hornets, you better put up some numbers. Those numbers be better over there than they gonna be in Philly,” said the retired 43-year-old NBA vet.
Johnson isn’t wrong. If Bailey wants immediate minutes and the chance to make a splash, then starting with a small-market team makes sense. But Sharpe wasn’t buying it. The NFL legend used both an analogy and LaMelo to explain why he believes going to the Hornets would be a dead end.
“If a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?” he asked. “Look at Melo. Melo averaged 25, 26 in Charlotte. Nobody paying no attention to it.”
Not to play devil’s advocate, but Shannon isn’t wrong either. Ball is one of the most popular young players in the league, yet he gets only half the coverage, largely because he plays in a small-market team. “It’s ’cause they got to win, man,” Johnson responded. “In them markets, you got to win in order to get some notoriety. You got to win.”
Unfortunately, the Hornets are one of the sadder franchises in the NBA. They don’t have a glittering past, and their future isn’t exactly inspiring either. With zero championships and no real statement runs in the postseason, there’s little historical weight to lean on.
Sure, Bailey could try to change the culture. But is that really what he wants? Most young stars dream of playing for teams with a rich legacy. And let’s be honest: Charlotte just isn’t that.
