Jazz basketball is finally on its way back, with tipoff just a few weeks out. The NBA officially dropped dates for the 2025 Summer League in Las Vegas, which is unprecedented excitement across the league. Meanwhile, the long-brewing Ace Bailey rumor finally got some clarity. Questions swirled for months, but the latest reports hint at where things stand now. So, what’s really happening behind the curtain with Bailey and the Jazz? Let’s pull it apart. 

Jazz fans, mark your calendars: Utah’s summer squad is set to light up the court. The Jazz will go head-to-head with standout draft talents like Dylan Harper, Kon Knueppel, and Tre Johnson. These rising stars will surely bring high-level competition and a peek into the league’s future. The mix gets deeper with undrafted free agents, headlined by their new two-way signee, St. John’s point guard RJ Luis, fresh off signing mere minutes after Thursday’s second round. So who’s on deck and when? Let’s break down Utah’s Summer League foes and game dates in the next section.

Utah Jazz insider Ben Anderson recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to drop Jazz’s Vegas Summer League schedule. His post revealed a packed lineup featuring four matchups against serious young talent. The Jazz open on Friday, July 11, squaring off with the Hornets at 5 p.m. on ESPN. Next comes a Sunday, July 13 showdown against the Warriors, tipping at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. On Monday, July 14, they’ll battle the Spurs at 6:30 p.m. on NBATV. Finally, they wrap things up Wednesday, July 16, clashing with the Wizards at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

The highlight? Utah will face the second, fourth, and sixth overall picks from this year’s draft, including rising stars like Knueppel, Harper, and Johnson. On paper, this schedule feels made for on-court drama and a glimpse at the NBA’s next gen. Fans should buckle up because this Summer League is about to bring some serious heat to Vegas.

But, amid all this new news coming to the surface, what is the situation for Ace Bailey? Is he suiting up for Utah, or has the weeks-long rumor become the reality? Has this storyline finally reached a conclusion, or is there another curveball waiting? Time to peel back the curtain and see where this saga really stands. Fret not, because according to Utah Jazz’s official posts, Ace Bailey has not just landed with the team, he is also gearing up to make his debut at the NBA Summer League.

Is Ace Bailey set to make his summer league debut soon?

Ace Bailey was the headliner circling every scout’s board ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft. A consensus five-star phenom and one of the crown jewels of the 2024 class, Bailey arrived with heavyweight expectations. The phenomenal Rutgers wing left defenders scrambling and crowds gasping all year. And while he was on the floor, Bailey made it impossible for front offices to look away.

Bailey, just 18, is already a towering 6-foot-10, and truly he plays like a guard with a scorer’s instinct. At Rutgers, he stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 17.6 points, 7.2 boards, and 1.3 blocks per night. Naturally, every front office wanted a closer look at this kid turning heads all season. His agent, Omar Cooper, didn’t hold back, saying, “Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago. He did 18 interviews. Everyone got their medical. They watched him run and jump. They got his measurements… There is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey’s predraft process was handled.” Well, after all, it was business as usual for a prospect of his caliber. The league just couldn’t look away.

Previously, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony pegged the Wizards, Pelicans, and Nets as Ace Bailey’s preferred landing spots heading into draft night. The Wizards, holding the No. 6 pick, surfaced as the consensus favorite in nearly every mock draft. But, as the draft board unfolded, a curveball cracked the script. The Utah Jazz blindsided everyone by snatching Bailey with the No. 5 selection, one slot ahead of Washington.

Rumors swirled fast when Ace Bailey didn’t immediately report to Utah, igniting whispers about hesitation behind the scenes. But Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge quickly shut down the noise, telling ESPN, “We really like him as a player and a fit in our program.” Bailey, caught off guard by Utah’s pick, admitted he had “no idea” that he was on the drafting list of the Jazz. Still, the 18-year-old sounded locked in on proving himself. As he later said, “I feel like once I come in, it’s going to be a lot of work. I feel like I’m a person that likes to work out a lot. I’m going to push my teammates to be the best they can be. I want to come in and be a leader as a young cat.”

Now, with the dust settled and the drama dialed down, Ace Bailey has officially touched down in Utah. The Utah Jazz made it clear by posting a video of their prized rookie stepping off a private jet onto the Salt Lake City tarmac. The clip, shared on the team’s official X account, confirmed what fans were waiting to see. Yes, Bailey’s in town and gearing up for the Summer League grind. It’s official now that this young phenom is about to carve out his story. And trust me, it’s one worth watching.