The Brooklyn Nets have less than one week to decide which player they will be taking with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft that begins next Wednesday. Brooklyn probably disliked the fact that they went from the sixth spot to the eighth in the Draft, but they could be looking to get around that result.
“Sources say the Washington Wizards (who will select sixth), New Orleans Pelicans (seventh), and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) are interested in moving up to take him,” Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote in his article pertaining to Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. Bailey has been in the news lately for reportedly cancelling a workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, something that is sure to rub some people the wrong way.
While some people are understandably skeptical of Bailey given that he hasn’t worked out for any team yet ahead of the Draft, the talent that he has is something the Nets may not want to pass on. At one point following the conclusion of the college basketball season, Bailey was considered the favorite to be the No. 3 overall pick, after Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Rutgers Dylan Harper.
Bailey, 18, is coming off a 2024-25 season at Rutgers with averages of 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 46.0% from the field and 34.6% from three-point land. Bailey, listed at 6-foot-8 and 203 pounds, appears to have the kind of skill set that could his game to mold into the likes of 76ers forward Paul George or Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller.
“With the buzz around Jeremiah Fears ultra positive, Ace Bailey could slip a few spots to No. 6,” Jonathan Wasserman wrote during his latest mock draft for Bleacher Report. “His shot selection and answers to certain questions at the NBA combine have raised some questions.”
Based on Pompey’s reporting, Brooklyn may not have to find a way to get from No. 8 to No. 3 anymore, but they will have to hope that the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans don’t take Bailey first. In fact, Wasserman has the Wizards taking Bailey with the sixth overall pick because “at No. 6, he’s too talented for the Wizards to nitpick.”