Latest On Ace Bailey
Having canceled his pre-draft workout with the Sixers this week, Rutgers forward Ace Bailey still hasn’t visited any teams ahead of next Wednesday’s first round. While his unorthodox pre-draft process has fueled speculation that Bailey – long considered a top-three or top-four prospect in this year’s class – may drop further than expected next week, he’s unlikely to slide too far, Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line (Substack link).
“He’s not falling into the 20s like Cam Whitmore,” a longtime scout told Fischer.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer has heard from multiple league sources that Omar Cooper, one of Bailey’s representatives, wanted the Sixers to commit to drafting him at No. 3 prior to Friday’s scheduled workout. However, Fischer cites a source briefed on the process who says Bailey’s camp didn’t insist on an “iron-clad promise” from Philadelphia.
Pompey has also heard from a league executive that Bailey’s reps may want him to play on the East Coast, somewhere between Atlanta and New York. When ESPN had Bailey going to Washington at No. 6 in its latest mock draft, Jonathan Givony suggested that “geography” was one factor worth considering.
According to Fischer, there hasn’t been much chatter connecting Bailey to the Hornets, who hold the No. 4 overall pick. Lottery teams believe the Jazz at No. 5 could be a potential landing spot for the 18-year-old, but Utah is also thought to be high on Duke’s Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel, Fischer notes.
The Wizards hold the No. 6 pick and their front office has spoken repeatedly in the past about building around high-character players. While there are no apprehensions about Bailey’s character specifically – one NBA scout described him to Fischer as a “sweetheart” – there are some concerns about his focus, his approach to the game, and his maturity, per Fischer and Pompey.
“He’s not immature like a [butthead]. … He’s goofy,” a scout told Pompey. “Dancing in line. You are doing drills, he’s dancing. ‘Oh, that’s my song.’ … He’s playful, which is age-appropriate.”
The Pelicans (No. 7), meanwhile, have been reported to have interest in Bailey, but league sources tell Fischer’s Substack teammate Marc Stein that New Orleans’ interest has been overstated.
As Fischer writes, with no sense that any specific team in that 3-7 range is locked in on Bailey, there have been teams wondering if he might make it all the way to the Nets at No. 8. As Fischer and Stein previously observed, a number of evaluators and scouts believe there’s a drop-off after the top eight prospects in the 2025 draft class.
Here are a few more Bailey-related notes:
- According to Fischer, NBA teams believe that one reason why Bailey’s pre-draft approach has been so unconventional is that it’s being coordinated largely by Cooper, who is the father of former NBA guard Sharife Cooper and isn’t certified as an NBA agent. While Adie Von Gontard and Daniel Green are officially listed as Bailey’s agents, Cooper is the one believed to be running point during the pre-draft process, Fischer explains.
- Despite the questions surrounding Bailey, some sources who spoke to Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer believe the Sixers should still draft him at No. 3. “You have to take him,” one Western Conference scout said. “But you have to really know what you are getting. He has the highest upside.”
- League sources confirm to Pompey that the Sixers remain interested in moving the No. 3 pick for the right deal. Pompey has also heard from sources that the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets may also have some level of interest in moving up for the 6’8″ forward.
Draft Notes: Guards, Wings, Trades, Fears, Queen
Even after Duke phenom Cooper Flagg and Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the draft’s presumed top two picks, come off the board, this year’s draft lottery is loaded with intriguing wings and guards.
David Aldridge of The Athletic consulted with anonymous league scouts and coaches about the best guard prospects in the draft, and also took a look at the best potential NBA wings.
Harper proved to be somewhat divisive. The folks Aldridge consulted were decidedly mixed on his upside, with some projecting him as an eventual All-Star and others believing he could be a longtime pro but may not have a high ceiling.
“He has a professionalism about him that’s really uncommon,” one college assistant coach said of Harper. “He knows the game. He plays the right way. He guards. He tries defensively.”
Arizona wing Carter Bryant may lack a great handle, but an Eastern Conference scout appreciates the rest of his offensive makeup. He’s projected to be the No. 10 pick in the latest ESPN mock.
“His shot’s fluid, especially in spot-up situations,” the scout said. “He’s not somebody who’ll create his own shots, at least his first few years in the league. He’s good at relocating to open space. His shot comes out of his hand really well, and the defense is high-level.”
There’s more intel ahead of the draft:
- In a fairly deep draft year, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies several prospects he believes could be worth trading down out of the top three to acquire for the Spurs and Sixers. O’Connor evaluates the shooting promise of Duke guard Kon Knueppel and Texas guard Tre Johnson, the motor of Baylor wing V.J. Edgecombe, and the upside of Duke center Khaman Maluach, among other lottery-level players.
- Should they stay put, the Nets could still have plenty of promising possibilities to select with the eighth pick this year. An NBA scout raved to Brian Lewis of The New York Post about the upside of Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, who could still be available in the middle of the lottery. “I’m not [drafting] in the top two or three, in terms of being able to hit a home run on a guy that could be an absolute superstar game-changer, he’d be one of the guys past [Nos.] 3 or 4 that could actually do that,” the scout said.
- Under a new front office regime, the Pelicans are high on freshman Maryland big Derik Queen, a source informs Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). New Orleans possesses the No. 7 pick this season following another injury-plagued year. The All-Big Ten center averaged 16.5 PPG and 9.0 RPG in Maryland last year.
Nets Notes: Johnson, Trade Rumors, Draft, Bailey
After Memphis received a blockbuster haul of future draft assets from Orlando in its Desmond Bane trade, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) considers how that could impact the Nets‘ return in a potential Cameron Johnson trade.
Johnson, 29, is a solid two-way player – if never an All-Star – and remains in his athletic prime. The 6’8″ forward, who established himself as a starter on a talented Suns team before being dealt to Brooklyn, averaged 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per contest in 57 healthy games for the Nets this past season. He posted a shooting line of .475/.390/.893.
As Lewis writes, Johnson isn’t the passer or rebounder that Bane is, and he’s three years older than the Magic’s latest addition. However, they posted similar scoring and shooting numbers this past season, and Johnson’s current contract is more team-friendly than Bane’s — the Nets forward is owed $44MM over the next two seasons, while Bane will make $163MM across the next four years.
NBA sources have repeatedly informed Lewis that they expect the 2025 offseason to be incredibly active, and that they anticipate Brooklyn will be heavily involved in trade activity.
There’s more out of Brooklyn:
- Although Lewis tweets that he anticipates the Nets will explore ditching veteran salaries and getting involved in three-team trades, he has been informed that Brooklyn is also being floated in conversations about deals that the team has nothing to do with. According to Lewis, this is “predictable gamesmanship” in the offseason, and the Nets make for an easy subject of speculation due to their significant cap room.
- The Nets’ name has been thrown around in the trade rumor mill so often, C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News opted to take stock. Holmes believes it’s quite possible Brooklyn gets involved as a third team to help facilitate a Kevin Durant trade out of Phoenix, but he’s skeptical the Nets will achieve their “Plan A” of acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee.
- Although Rutgers wing Ace Bailey initially seemed to be out of reach for the Nets at the No. 8 pick, his recent refusal to work out for anyone seems to presage a drop in this year’s draft. Net Income of Nets Daily wonders if Brooklyn would trade up to nab the 18-year-old if he falls out of the top three picks — but perhaps not out of the top five.
Draft Rumors: Edgecombe, Bailey, Spurs, Knueppel, Fears, Hawks, More
For the first time since the Sixers claimed the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft lottery, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo are projecting Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe, rather than Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, to be the pick in that spot.
As Givony explains within ESPN’s latest mock draft, Edgecombe made a strong positive impression during his visit to Philadelphia, whereas Bailey initially didn’t make plans to meet with the Sixers at all. Bailey has since changed course and will work out for the 76ers later this week, but it sounds like he may not been enthusiastic about his “pathway to development” in Philadelphia.
According to Givony, Bailey hasn’t yet conducted a known workout and has declined invitations from multiple teams in his draft range. Sources tell ESPN that his camp believes he’s a top-three player in the draft class but that they want him to end up in a situation where there’s a path to stardom. With that in mind, some teams have wondered if Bailey has received a promise from a team outside the top five that he views as more favorable in terms of both playing time and geography.
Givony and Woo have Bailey slipping to Washington at No. 6 in their latest mock, with Givony writing that the Wizards and the Pelicans (at No. 7) are both believed to be “highly intrigued” by the 18-year-old’s upside and could probably offer him more minutes right away than a team like Philadelphia could.
Here’s more from ESPN on the 2025 NBA draft:
- Rival teams who have been in touch with the Spurs have come away believing that San Antonio will hang onto the No. 2 overall pick and select Dylan Harper, according to Givony, who says the Spurs are excited about adding a talent like Harper and appear willing to address potential fit issues down the road.
- Although the No. 8 pick is viewed as Kon Knueppel‘s likely floor, he could end up coming off the board a few picks ahead of that. The Hornets (No. 4) and Jazz (No. 5) both appear to have interest in the Duke sharpshooter, Givony reports.
- Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears looks like a relatively safe bet to be drafted between No. 5 and No. 8, writes Woo. The Jazz are viewed as the top end of Fears’ range, while the Pelicans (No. 7) and Nets (No. 8) are thought to be interested. Grant Afseth of RG.org said something similar on Monday while also identifying the Wizards at No. 6 as a possibility for Fears.
- Rival teams believe the Hawks will likely be targeting a big man and a guard with their first-round picks if they hang onto both of them, says Woo. Even if the Hawks do take that route, the order in which they address those two spots will hinge in large part on who’s available after the first 12 picks. ESPN’s mock has Atlanta taking Egor Demin at No. 13 and Danny Wolf at No. 22.
- Collin Murray-Boyles is considered a polarizing prospect, with some evaluators viewing the South Carolina standout as a potential “outstanding” role player while others are concerned about his shooting and his positional size, according to Woo. Murray-Boyles’ range may start around the No. 10 pick.
- Arizona’s Carter Bryant has had a very good pre-draft process and looks like a strong candidate to come off the board in the 9-15 range, per Givony.
Atlantic Notes: Sharpe, Knueppel, Horford, Kornet, Embiid
Day’Ron Sharpe is headed to free agency this summer. The Nets can make the backup big man a restricted free agent by extending him a $5.98MM qualifying offer. Sharpe told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype he’s looking forward to what the summer may bring for his career.
“I’m looking forward to the experience because I don’t know too much about free agency. This is my first year experiencing it. I’m looking forward to learning from it and how to move later on in my career,” he said.
Sharpe believes he can enhance any team’s second unit.
“I think I’m one of the best (backup bigs),” he said. “I’m a humble person, so I don’t like really talking or comparing myself to other people. But when it comes to backup bigs, I think I’m one of the best. I’m trying to continue to prove myself and work hard.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Should the Nets target Duke’s Kon Knueppel with their No. 8 overall pick? Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com believes Knueppel can make up for his limitations by his competitive nature as well as his shot-making and play-making abilities.
- There’s a general sense that Al Horford will continue his long career next season but where he’ll wind up in free agency is another matter. High-level playoff contenders are monitoring Horford to see if he would consider leaving Boston, according to Scotto. Another Celtics big man and free agent, Luke Kornet, is expected to have a robust market this summer after his career year. Teams with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available are expected to pursue him, says Scotto.
- The Sixers moved up to the No. 3 spot in the draft lottery but their success next season will be predicated on how well Joel Embiid bounces back from his latest knee surgery, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. The team has yet to offer an update on Embiid’s progress since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 9.
Nets Notes: Sharpe, Cap Space, Giannis, Scott, Pierre
The Nets have seen steady improvement from center Day’Ron Sharpe since he was drafted in 2021. He’s set to be a restricted free agent this summer, and Brooklyn has a decision to make on him after re-signing starting center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97MM contract last year.
In an interview with Swish Theory’s Charlie Cummings (hat tip to Net Income of NetsDaily), Sharpe identified what it will take for him to reach the next level in the league.
“Offensive rebounding — that’s always gonna be my thing, that’s my bread-and-butter,” Sharpe said. “Being the strongest is going to help me do that. I’m trying to get to a point where it don’t matter who’s on that court, I’m moving you and I’m gonna get that board.”
Sharpe averaged 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18.1 minutes last season.
“I just want to do whatever we can to help the team,” Sharpe said. “If it’s talking to the next person, then I can do that. If it’s bringing energy, I can do that. If it’s ‘go and grab every offensive rebound,’ I can do that. If it’s ‘go and drop 20,’ I can do that.”
We have more from the Nets:
- The Nets will enter the 2025 offseason as the only team with significant cap space, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll use their spending flexibility on free agents. Instead, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post details in a subscriber-only story, Brooklyn can position itself to land unwanted contracts from other clubs that want to get in on the offseason action, especially star-level trades that require a third-team facilitator. The Nets also have five picks in next month’s draft and are said to be exploring a move up.
- With multiple reports suggesting that the odds of Giannis Antetokounmpo requesting a trade out of Milwaukee appear to be decreasing, the Nets’ “Plan A” this offseason may be off the table. However, that clarity could prove to be a good thing, Lewis writes in a separate piece (subscriber link). Instead of going all-in on a superstar, the team can focus on youth development as it heads into the second year of a rebuild.
- The Nets, who control five draft picks (Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27, and 36) held a pre-draft workout featuring St. John’s forward Aaron Scott and Belmont guard Jonathan Pierre, according to The Draft Stack (Twitter link). Scott averaged 8.4 points and 1.4 steals per game in his final collegiate season at St. John’s and Pierre averaged 13.8 PPG while shooting 36.9% from three last year.
Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome
The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.
Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.
Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:
- The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
- The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
- Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.
International Notes: Cousins, Culver, Dozier, Milutinov
Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins, now playing in Puerto Rico, was suspended for the remainder of the season and had his contract terminated after being involved in a brawl with fans, according to The Associated Press.
During a game on Monday, Cousins made an obscene gesture toward a fan at courtside, then grabbed the fan’s arm after they exchanged words. He was eventually pulled away by his teammates. After being ejected, Cousins argued with another fan on his way back to the locker room while several people threw liquids at him.
On Tuesday, the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league fined Cousins $4,250 for his actions. He could face an additional $5,750 fine, according to AP.
“As an organization, we strongly condemn any form of violence or provocation, whether on or off the field. Safety, respect, and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise,” Cousins’ team stated in a news release.
This is the second season in Puerto Rico for the 34-year-old, who last played in the NBA during the 2021/22 season. He’s averaging 18.2 points and nine rebounds per game, but his Mets team is only 9-18.
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Jarrett Culver, the sixth pick in the 2019 draft, is nearing an agreement with the Sendai 89ers in Japan, sources tell Domantas Urbonas of BasketNews. The 26-year-old, who played four NBA seasons, spent this year with the Osceola Magic in the G League, averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 34 games.
- Former NBA player PJ Dozier has decided to re-sign with Anadolu Efes amid significant interest on the EuroLeague free agent market, Urbonas adds in a separate story. Dozier, 28, helped the Turkish team make a late-season charge to the playoffs after signing with them in January.
- Nets draft-and-stash player Nikola Milutinov has signed a three-year contract to remain with Olympiacos, Urbonas tweets. A report earlier this week indicated that Milutinov was close to leaving for Olimpia Milano, and he reportedly also received a large offer from Panathinaikos.
Celtics Eyeing Point Guard Prospects, Evaluating Trade-Up Scenarios
The Celtics are doing their due diligence on point guard prospects ahead of the 2025 NBA draft, as well as evaluating potential trade-up scenarios, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org.
Boston currently controls the No. 28 pick in the first round and the No. 32 pick in the second round, giving the team some ammunition to potentially move up a few spots if there’s a specific prospect the front office likes in that range.
Of course, the ability to draft a player with that No. 32 pick and sign him to a rookie-minimum salary would benefit the cap-strapped Celtics as they look to reduce their payroll, so the club would have to weigh its options carefully if it considers a move up — packaging the No. 28 selection with a future pick or two while hanging onto No. 32 could also be an option, though that’s just my speculation.
As Afseth writes, the Celtics have “quietly evaluated” a number of point guards in this year’s draft class, conducting background work on those prospects and making an effort to bring them in for workouts. Adding a “rotation-level” guard on a rookie scale contract is viewed as a priority for a team that operated over the second tax apron this past season, Afseth adds, especially with Jrue Holiday considered a prime offseason trade candidate.
Among this year’s draft-eligible point guards, Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Fears, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Egor Demin are viewed as probable lottery picks. Nolan Traore is at No. 25 on ESPN’s big board, with Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 27 and Ben Saraf at No. 30. For what it’s worth, Traore was once considered a potential top-10 pick and was still in the lottery in ESPN’s mock drafts as of mid-March, but has fallen in the rankings this spring.
According to Afseth, Boston is one of a few teams with multiple picks in the first round or early second who are exploring the idea of trading up. The Thunder (Nos. 15, 24, and 44), Magic (Nos. 16, 25, 46, and 57), and Nets (Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27, and 36) are also “viewed as active in that market,” sources tell RG.org.
Western Notes: Kidd, Blazers, Kings, Nelson, Nuggets
Letting Jason Kidd go to the Knicks would be a terrible outcome for the Mavericks, according to Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News. There’s reportedly mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks.
Under Kidd, Dallas has won five playoff series in four seasons. Cowlishaw also notes that Kyrie Irving likes Kidd and believes in him. In Cowlishaw’s viewpoint, the only way general manager Nico Harrison‘s vision for the current group will work is dependent on Anthony Davis staying healthy and Irving getting healthy and remaining happy. If Cooper Flagg then plays up to his draft status, the Mavs have a chance to secure a title in 2026/27 before the window of opportunity runs out for their aging stars.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Arthur Kaluma (Texas), Gabe Madsen (Utah), Chibuzo Agbo (USC), Alex Toohey (Sydney Kings), Jahmai Mashack (Tennessee) and Dylan Cardwell (Auburn) worked out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets. Toohey is the biggest name in the group, as the Australian forward is ranked No. 36 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- Jeremy Roach (Baylor), Caleb Love (Arizona), Jaxson Robinson (Kentucky), John Tonje (Wisconsin), Great Osobor (Washington), CJ Huntley (Appalachian State) will work out for the Kings on Wednesday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets. That group is headed by Tonje (19.6 PPG with the Badgers last season), a high-scoring guard who is ranked No. 42 by ESPN.
- Grant Nelson (Alabama) is expected to reschedule a workout with the Jazz, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Nelson, who worked out for the Nets on Tuesday, is currently rated 65th by ESPN.
- Though the Nuggets took the Thunder to a Game 7 in these playoffs, they can’t afford to run it back with the same group, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post opines. The bench is in serious need of upgrades, Keeler argues, as the Nuggets basically went six deep this season and that forced the starters to empty their tanks.