The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2025 NBA Draft with just about everyone wondering if they will be determined to go on full villain mode and take Ace Bailey to his detriment, but ultimately, they didn’t even have to do the ruination themselves.
With the fifth overall pick in the draft, it was the Utah Jazz which ended up snagging the Rutgers standout off the board, shocking a lot of fans and pundits who had him falling to other ball clubs right after the 76ers settled with VJ Edgecombe with pick No. 3.
Bailey’s camp has reportedly eyed a handful of other landing spots with Philly completely outside the loop, but as kismet would have it, the basketball gods made sure that the 18-year-old prospect is not getting away from his and his representation’s pre-draft maneuvering which puzzled and offended a slew of league executives.
Guess who’s laughing now?
76ers get the last laugh as Ace Bailey ends up with the Jazz
People around league circles were of the belief that Bailey wanted to get picked by either the Wizards, Pelicans, or more strikingly, the Nets. Thus, it was definitely shocking for many that the Jazz took him at No. 5.
Heck, even Danny Ainge knew of what his camp preferred, but remained undeterred and swooped in to snag him before he fell harder.
"This was not one of his preferred destinations," ESPN's Jonathan Givony says of Ace Bailey in Utah.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 26, 2025
Now, the Rutgers star finds himself dealing with a completely unexpected outcome. This is a strong reminder to his camp that nothing is guaranteed in the ebbs and flows of the NBA Draft, which become highly instinctive on the fly, and acting like an entitled bunch free to elect where they suit up as if they were free agents will not move NBA front offices.
On the flip side, the 76ers will be savoring their draft decision for sure. Edgecombe is a highly skilled guard who might just be the most athletic prospect in this year’s draft class, and should be a more smooth prospect to fit right into the team’s established pecking order.
I would not go as far as to call it karma, but all of a sudden, Bailey is in a nebulous position. Between a full-on youth movement and a faint win-now cause, the Jazz have not really picked a deliberate direction, and it’s not like Utah is a completely blank canvas where Bailey could come in from day one and lord over the ball just like what his agents wanted.
In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers last laugh, and how the outcome came to be makes the result all the more satisfying, especially optics-wise.
Again, who’s laughing now?