Ace Bailey has developed into the most controversial player in the 2025 NBA Draft and his latest decision added even more fuel to the fire. Bailey has canceled his pre-draft workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, reported Jonathan Givony of ESPN. He was originally scheduled to fly into Philadelphia on Friday to meet with the 76ers for a private workout and a dinner. Bailey remains the only United States-based draft prospect yet to meet with any teams as he has declined various invitations from teams within range of picks three to eight.
On Tuesday, Givony wrote that Bailey’s draft stock has been falling due to his unwillingness to accept those invitations. Bailey reportedly believes he is a top-three player in the draft and wants to be selected by a team that will provide him a “clear pathway to stardom”. This report raised a red flag to those skeptical of Bailey’s NBA projection and potential fit with the 76ers, including me.
It's worth noting Daryl Morey has selected several players in the past without a private workout, including Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. The Sixers scouted Rutgers extensively all season and interviewed him in Chicago. They could very well still select Ace Bailey at 3. https://t.co/CDT8eOEY0q
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 19, 2025
Still, Philadelphia has not ruled out selecting Bailey as it has extensively scouted him throughout the season, Givony and Shams Charania revealed. They further added that the 76ers will have final discussions on who to select with the third overall pick and that they’re unlikely to trade downward into the lottery. While Bailey possibly remains on Philadelphia’s big board heading into June 25th, his remaining interest is likely just a smokescreen to maintain leverage.
The 76ers are better off
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic speculated that Bailey potentially has received a draft promise from a team, which would explain his sudden change of heart. Otherwise, Bailey’s camp is unnecessarily plummeting his draft stock and damaging his reputation by giving a cold shoulder to every team that’s reached out to him.
Representation aside, Bailey has become such a polarizing prospect due to his score-first play style and questionable ceiling. With his limitations as a decision-maker and tendency to force contested shots off the dribble, his fit in Philadelphia was controversial. In a perfect world, Bailey hypothetically scales down by becoming an elite perimeter shooter and honing his defensive upside. However, if he’s set on becoming a star by becoming a team’s offense, Philadelphia is better off.
Ace Bailey’s strange pre-draft cycle is one thing. I’m mostly still concerned about his on-court flaws.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 19, 2025
He made only 36.4% of pull up 2s and 24.4% of pull up 3s. Not lights out. Never really has been. Shaky at-rim finisher too. This is on top of the concerns about his feel… pic.twitter.com/s7kf4pXGpB
Still, the 76ers have plenty of options left. V.J. Edgecombe met with Philadelphia recently to work out and have dinner, which Tyrese Maxey attended, reported The Stein Line last week. Givony also described Edgecombe as “the leader of the clubhouse” in terms of who Philadelphia is considering with the third overall pick. Kon Knueppel also revealed on The Bill Simmons Podcast that he has a Zoom Interview with Philadelphia lined up this week.