{"id":128310,"date":"2025-06-27T07:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T07:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/128310\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T07:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T07:10:10","slug":"could-jazzs-top-draft-pick-request-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/128310\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Jazz’s Top Draft Pick Request Trade?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ace Bailey<\/a>\u2018s name was called, announcing that he had been selected<\/a> by the Utah Jazz with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, there didn\u2019t appear to be the usual excitement. He wasn\u2019t smiling ear to ear. He wasn\u2019t giddy.<\/p>\n

Of course, most people aren\u2019t body language experts. They certainly aren\u2019t telepathic. So, everyone that\u2019s doubted whether he was happy about being taken by the Jazz could be wrong. In his own words, Bailey is only focused on playing basketball and improving. Nevertheless, after doing everything he could not to be drafted by Utah, they took him anyway.<\/p>\n

Ace Bailey Adds Fuel To Fire Amid Head-Scratching Jazz Draft<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked Omar Cooper his thoughts on his client\u2019s future in Utah and he declined to answer those questions,\u201d ESPN and DraftExpress analyst Jonathan Givony told his colleagues during Day 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft. \u201cHe told me there\u2019s nothing uncommon about Bailey\u2019s pre-draft process. 18 teams interviewed him, they all saw him work out at the NBA Draft Combine, they all have his medicals (and) his measurements. He\u2019s not the first player to decline or cancel workouts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ace Baileys agent (Omar Cooper) declined to comment on his clients future in Utah with the Jazz, per @DraftExpress<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KvrjuIKlyz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) June 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

With that in mind, Bailey\u2019s not only human, he\u2019s just 18 years old. If he really did only have three teams<\/a> that he wanted to play for, the Jazz didn\u2019t just make a business decision. They decided to risk frustrating and alienating their top draft pick before he ever stepped foot in the building. Even worse, they mucked up Bailey\u2019s literal once-in-a-lifetime moment, showing that they don\u2019t really care about his wants.<\/p>\n

Who would be jumping for joy about that? More to the point, who would want to report to a team with such an impersonal if not callous approach? That being said, Bailey\u2019s camp reportedly told at least one team that he wouldn\u2019t report to them if drafted. In light of Cooper\u2019s recent comments, that could be the way they decide to play the situation with the Jazz.<\/p>\n

If so, it hearkens back to the 1999 NBA Draft, when Kobe Bryant<\/a> infamously refused to suit up for<\/a> the Charlotte Hornets and wound up being traded<\/a> to the Los Angeles Lakers after they selected him.<\/p>\n

Do They Really Need Him?<\/p>\n

The Jazz have plenty of players and a few that are really good.<\/p>\n

For many, the focal point is Lauri Markkanen<\/a>, who has averaged 23.0 points per game since arriving in Salt Lake City. In 2023, he not only won the Most Improved Player Award but earned his first All-Star selection. Yet, Markkanen\u2019s injury-riddled season allowed John Collins<\/a> to be their answer many nights. In fact, Collins averaged 19.0 points per game in 2024-25, his highest single-season average this decade.<\/p>\n

A platoon of guards has also earned salutes.<\/p>\n

Jordan Clarkson<\/a>, the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year, might be Jazz head coach Will Hardy\u2019s favorite player on the team. If not him, it\u2019s likely 2023 No. 16 pick Keyonte George<\/a>, who averaged a career-high 16.8 points per game last season. 2024 No. 29 pick Isaiah Collier<\/a> broke John Stockton\u2019s rookie record for single-season assists while emerging as their best point-of-attack defender. Former top-10 pick Collin Sexton<\/a> deserves his flowers for being the only ultra-efficient volume scoring guard in their rotation.<\/p>\n

Yet, for all their talent, the Jazz don\u2019t believe they have enough to compete for a championship. That\u2019s the primary reason why they were willing to self-sabotage \u2014or, in other words, tank<\/a> \u2013their 2024-25 season. In a way, this is strange.<\/p>\n

Cog In The Machine<\/p>\n

Just the fact that in the last six years, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic<\/a>, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> have won a ring with only one other teammate scoring at least 20 points per game. When Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard<\/a> won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, he was the only player scoring at least 20 points per game.<\/p>\n

\"\"Dec 10, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) goes to the basket asPenn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V (4) and guard Ace Baldwin Jr. (1) defend during the second half at Jersey Mike\u2019s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Utah objectively has multiple players capable of doing so. On top of that, by the time Bailey reaches that level, he\u2019ll likely be replacing another player who can. To that point, Collins, Clarkson and Sexton will all be on expiring contracts in 2024-25. Thus, Bailey isn\u2019t an addition so much as another cog in the machine<\/p>\n

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