Ace Bailey finally arrives in Utah after hectic NBA draft process with Jazz

Bailey’s arrival comes after much drama and speculation following his selection on Wednesday, where it was apparently murky if the Rutgers standout would actually come to Utah, as he did not originally report to the team alongside fellow Jazz first-rounder Walter Clayton Jr. on Thursday.

Shortly before the draft, Bailey’s representatives informed a team selecting in the top five that the power forward “wouldn’t report” to that club, per ESPN.

Bailey also declined a workout with the 76ers ahead of the draft, and reportedly made clear that his preferred destinations were the Wizards, Pelicans and Nets, who selected at Nos. 6, 7, and 8, respectively.

After being drafted by the Jazz on Wednesday, Bailey said that he did not know the Jazz were interested in him.

“I can control what I can control,” Bailey said in response to the discourse surrounding his attitude leading up to draft night. “They feel how they feel.”

Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, said earlier this week that the former 5-star recruit’s actions ahead of the draft were not “uncommon.”

“Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago,” Cooper told ESPN earlier this week. “He did 18 interviews. Everyone got his medical. They watched him run and jump. They got his measurements. … There is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey’s pre-draft process was handled.”

Andrew Witlieb, another representative of Bailey, shut down the speculation on Friday, saying that the lottery selection was “thrilled to be going to Utah,” and cleared the air about his pre-draft process.

“This was led by his longtime manager Omar Cooper, who we’re partnering with on this,” Witlieb said of Bailey’s pre-draft tactics. “Omar really focused more on fit rather than going third in the draft.

“He wanted some place where Ace could have the best possible basketball fit for his game, and we think Utah is one of the best places he could’ve gone.”