The Ace Bailey Draft Saga Ends Tonight; We Graded Each Landing Spot
The Ace Bailey NBA Draft saga will come to a close Wednesday night when he gets picked by his new team—the question is, will that be at pick 3 (76ers), or could he fall as far as pick 8 (Nets)
Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey was seen as a top-3 lock for much of the college season due to his jaw-dropping shotmaking ability and scoring arsenal at his age. Concerns about his ability to consistently attack the rim, lower body strength, and a puzzling pre-draft process, however, have put his draft status in jeopardy. Bailey’s talent level is such that falling past Brooklyn at 8 seems inconceivable, but the Bailey paradox is a classic one that NBA teams face - scared to draft him in fear of getting a bust, but scared to pass on him and miss out on a superstar.
Here are Ace’s potential fits with each of his future teams:
3. Philadelphia 76ers
Potential Fit: B
2025-26 Depth Chart:
PG: Tyrese Maxey (25) - Jared McCain (21) - Jared Butler (25)
SG: Paul George (35) - Eric Gordon (37) - Lonnie Walker IV (27)
SF: Ace Bailey* - Kelly Oubre (30) - Justin Edwards (22)
C: Joel Embiid (31) - Andre Drummond (32) - Adem Bona (22)
Philadelphia may be the most unlikely of teams in the 3–8 range to pick Ace given the latest intel on how much VJ Edgecombe has endeared himself to NBA teams. Still, it is entirely possible that Daryl Morey pulls a shocking move by picking Ace and sliding him into a lineup with Maxey, McCain, Embiid, and potentially Paul George. Given the state of the Eastern Conference going into next season, a 76ers team with these stars could easily compete for a playoff spot. For short-term success, Philly would be a solid landing spot—but that all goes into jeopardy if/when Paul George gets traded, and if/when Joel Embiid misses time.
4. Charlotte Hornets
Potential Fit: B+
2025-26 Depth Chart:
PG: LaMelo Ball (24) - Nick Smith Jr. (21)
SG: Josh Green (25) - Josh Okogie (27) - DaQuan Jeffries (28)
SF: Brandon Miller (23) - Miles Bridges (27) - Ace Bailey*
PF: Grant Williams (27) - Tidjane Salaun (20)
C: Mark Williams (24) - Jusuf Nurkic (31)
Charlotte would present a fun and exciting fit for Ace. While the recent iterations of the Hornets have struggled to compete, this seems to be an organization (and roster) slowly on the rise. Bailey would join a fun young core with LaMelo at the reins, and exciting forwards Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges joining Ace on the wing. Perhaps more importantly, this would be a low pressure situation where Ace would have the leash to shine.
5. Utah Jazz
Potential Fit: A−
2025-26 Depth Chart:
PG: Collin Sexton (27) - Isaiah Collier (21) - Jaden Springer (23)
SG: Keyonte George (22) - Jordan Clarkson (33) - Johnny Juzang (24)
SF: Ace Bailey* - Brice Sensabaugh (22) - KJ Martin (25) - Cody Williams (21)
PF: Lauri Markkanen (28) - John Collins (28) - Taylor Hendricks (22)
C: Walker Kessler (24) - Kyle Filipowski (22)
Utah may be a perfect landing spot for the East Coast kid. In Salt Lake, Bailey will have the opportunity for starting caliber minutes right away, and will have a coach in Will Hardy who would excel at scheming for Ace. Leaning on his Atlanta ties (a McEachern HS product), Utah has three young Atlanta products already on the roster (Sexton, Collier, and Kessler). Utah presents an intersection for Ace to both surround himself with plenty of other blossoming young talent, and to have a chance to find his footing in the NBA in real quality minutes, while having strong coaching and organizational support behind him. Utah’s past few drafts have been full of productive draft picks, but none that appear to have true star potential. For Utah, Ace presents a swing at a young potential superstar that they most desperately need.
6. Washington Wizards
Potential Fit: B−
2025-26 Depth Chart:
PG: Bub Carrington (20) - Marcus Smart (31) - AJ Johnson (21)
SG: CJ McCollum (34) - Kyshawn George (22) - Colby Jones (23)
SF: Ace Bailey* - Khris Middleton (34) - Bilal Coulibaly (21) - Corey Kispert (26)
PF: Alex Sarr (20) - Kelly Olynyk (34) - Anthony Gill (33)
C: Richaun Holmes (32)
Should Ace be drafted by Washington, this would be another situation where plenty of minutes await him. Still, the Wizards’ recent development history makes this a less ideal fit as a team stuck in limbo. The current Wizards are composed of plenty of young potential (particularly with Carrington, Sarr, and Coulibaly), but other older players on the roster who are still good enough to command minutes make the vision murky. Unlike Utah who has a track record of success in the past decade, the Wizards have mostly struggled to stay out of the cellar. Is Ace the star to turn around fortunes in the capital city? He very well could be.
7. New Orleans Pelicans
Potential Fit: C+
2025-26 Depth Chart:
PG: Dejounte Murray (29) - Jose Alvarado (27) - Elfrid Payton (31)
SG: Jordan Poole (26) - Jordan Hawkins (23) - Brandon Boston Jr. (24) - Antonio Reeves (25)
SF: Trey Murphy III (25) - Ace Bailey* - Herb Jones (27) - Saddiq Bey (26)
PF: Zion Williamson (25) - Karlo Matkovic (24)
C: Yves Missi (21)
Many of the same attributes mentioned about the Wizards can be said about the Pelicans—teams with intriguing young pieces on the path of development, and productive older players who are just good enough to command major minutes, but not good enough to form a playoff caliber team. The Wizards take a slight edge in terms of fit due to being in the East, a much more breathable conference. New management in New Orleans under Joe Dumars will undoubtedly take a swing on Ace given the chance, but doubts on Zion’s future and the competence of a ball-centric Jordan Poole make this less desirable as a basketball fit.
8. Brooklyn Nets
Potential Fit: B+
2025-26 Depth Chart:
PG: D’Angelo Russell (29) - Cam Thomas (24)
SG: Keon Johnson (23) - De’Anthony Melton (27) - Dariq Whitehead (21)
SF: Cam Johnson (29) - Ace Bailey* - Ziaire Williams (24)
PF: Noah Clowney (21) - Jalen Wilson (25) - Drew Timme (25)
C: Nic Claxton (26) - Day’Ron Sharpe (24)
The final stop on the Ace Bailey NBA Draft ride is Brooklyn—if Ace falls past this point, something went very wrong. Brooklyn has a nice stockpile of younger talents, though there’s no top-end talent on this roster as currently constructed. Enter a talent like Ace Bailey, and Brooklyn’s outlook gets much more intriguing. Not far from where Bailey spent his college year in New Jersey, Brooklyn would be a good home for Ace, especially under the tutelage of now second-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, and with plenty of future draft capital for the front office to play with.