“Just play basketball. Wherever you go, just hoop.” That was Ace Bailey on the NBA Draft stage, doing his best to sound cool and unbothered as a storm of questions about his pre-draft power plays swirled around him. He just wanted to talk hoops. But on a night that was supposed to be a celebration, the only story that mattered was the high-stakes gamble his team had just lost in spectacular fashion. And when the Utah Jazz picked him at No. 5, the whole basketball world got to watch the messy fallout on live TV.

For weeks, the biggest drama wasn’t about who would go number one; it was about where Ace Bailey wouldn’t go. He ghosted teams. He canceled a workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, who had the third pick. It was a bold, transparent power play by his agent to try and steer him to his preferred destination, which everyone believed was the Washington Wizards at pick No. 6.

Then, live on ESPN, the nightmare scenario for Bailey’s camp unfolded. Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper went one-two, as expected. The Sixers, the team Bailey had snubbed, happily took VJ Edgecombe. The Hornets grabbed Kon Knueppel. And suddenly, it was Utah on the clock, one pick before the Wizards. The Jazz didn’t blink. They took the Rutgers star, a player now headed to a city he reportedly had no interest in playing for.

Yahoo! Sports‘ Jake Fischer confirmed it instantly, tweeting, “There is no trade. Ace Bailey to the Utah Jazz at No. 5, one spot before his widely-perceived preferred home of Washington.” A moment later, on the broadcast, ESPN’s draft guru Jonathan Givony delivered the final, brutal confirmation. “This was not one of his preferred destinations,” Givony said bluntly. Just like that, the gamble had failed. The power play had backfired.

What makes this so wild is the disconnect between the drama and the talent. This isn’t some fringe prospect trying to game the system. This is a guy who has his idols gushing. When Kevin Durant was asked if he saw himself in Bailey’s game, he didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I think so,” Durant said. “It’s insane the shots he can make… He’s a problem.” Bailey, shown the clip later, was humbled. “That’s hard,” he said. “Hearing that from KD… is just like a blessing.”

He even worked out with Giannis Antetokounmpo last summer. When asked if he was ready to use the moves he learned against the two-time MVP, Bailey just grinned. “Oh, for sure. I got some more stuff for him, too.” He has the talent, the swagger, and the respect of the league’s best. But now, thanks to a draft-night gamble that blew up in his face, he also has a very awkward situation in his new city.

In his post-draft interview, when asked how he could be so calm, he credited his inner circle. “I have a great circle that maintains the outside work while I just focus on the basketball part,” he said. Bailey‘s going to need that circle now more than ever, especially after a night that didn’t just cost him his preferred destination but also a significant amount of money.

Ace Bailey’s draft gamble costs him millions.

By falling from a potential No. 3 pick with the Sixers to No. 5 with the Jazz, Bailey lost an estimated $9.2 million in guaranteed rookie-scale salary. The irony is that, while Bailey’s camp was trying to avoid certain situations, the Utah Jazz might actually be a perfect basketball fit for him. He joins a young team with a franchise cornerstone in Lauri Markkanen and a glut of frontcourt talent, including John Collins and Walker Kessler.

Bailey’s ability to play on the wing and create his own shot is something the Jazz desperately need. But his arrival also creates a logjam. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where all four of those players can coexist and get the minutes they need to develop. This is where the ripple effects of Bailey’s draft-night slide begin to spread across the league. His selection by the Jazz might just be the first domino to fall in a series of trades that could reshape the Western Conference.

Even before he was drafted, the biggest names in the sport were talking about Bailey like a future superstar. Shaquille O’Neal, in his new role as the President of Basketball Operations for ‘Reebok’, was trying to build his new sneaker brand around young talent. He had his eyes on Bailey, but as he admitted, the price was already too high. “Had the opportunity to sign Ace Bailey,” Shaq said, “but he’s a very expensive ticket. I don’t even want to have that conversation.” Shaq saw the star power and the massive price tag that would come with it. Now, the Jazz have that same “expensive ticket,” but on a cost-controlled rookie contract, making him one of the most valuable assets in the league.

And that brings us to the Los Angeles Lakers. For weeks, the Purple & Gold have been desperately searching for a “dream co-star” for LeBron James and Luka Dončić. Their primary target has been a star big man, but with Bailey now in Utah, a new possibility has emerged. The Jazz now have a surplus of talented forwards, and with Lauri Markkanen due for a massive contract extension, they might be more willing to listen to trade offers.

The Lakers, who managed to keep most of their valuable trade assets—including Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick—in the Luka trade, suddenly have a new, realistic target. Bailey’s draft-day gamble didn’t just backfire on him; it may have inadvertently opened the door for Rob Pelinka to build the next Lakers superteam.