You either win the ring or tank badly to pick the best from the draft. That’s how the mindset has been. But Utah Jazz? Despite their efforts not to tank, they ended with the league’s worst record (17–65). When they hoped that the lottery would help them out, they got the worst possible pick with their odds. With a three-way tie with 14%, they ended up with the fifth overall pick. On the draft day, the team revealed to show their faith in Ace Bailey as the franchise wants to turn their fortune around. Ouch! But all the drama before the draft continued right after the selection process.

“Utah was not one of his preferred destinations,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony dropped a bombshell on the draft night. “He was hoping to get to either Washington, New Orleans, or Brooklyn.” Yet, the Jazz decided to draft the 6-foot-10 guard. According to reports, his camp even told at least one team not to pick him or he wouldn’t report. That created a mess for Utah, especially when Bailey didn’t fly in with fellow rookie Walter Clayton Jr. With the Rutgers star not reporting, the Jazz franchise is in a dilemma.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst made the Jazz’s stance clear. “They will absolutely not budge on this, and eventually, Ace Bailey is going to be a Utah Jazz,” he said on Get Up. “Danny Ainge and his son Austin are not going to bend here,” Windhorst pointed out that Utah simply can’t afford to cater to where players want to go. “But let’s see how the next 72 hours play out.” They expect Bailey to report on Monday after missing the initial deadline. Seeing this environment, Kendrick Perkins has a message to the league and the league’s player association.

Perkins, who has played 14 years in the NBA, blasted at everyone who feels the league will revolve around them. Furious yet respectful, he reminded everyone that the league didn’t stop after Jordan dropped out, or even Kobe stepped aside, and it will never, for anyone. “But what I would like the NBA to do is actually really, really, and the players’ association get involved with this situation. Because something don’t seem right, something don’t seem right.” On the Road Trippin solo edition, the Celtics legend wished good for the 19-year-old’s future and urged the NBA and NBPA to initiate a dialogue between the stakeholders. “Because Ace Bailey is a great kid, y’all. Full of energy, not a bad guy at all, and all of a sudden, because of who he’s getting advice from, is falling back on him.”

Perkins wasn’t able to digest why Bailey would have a problem with the Jazz besides throwing his weight on how hard it is to get into the NBA. Upon knowing Bailey isn’t happy about it, he asked, “Why isn’t it your dream, bro, right? Then you wanted to fall to a team where you actually could go play to showcase that you’re actually to showcase to them that you’re a future your franchise player. Wasn’t that the case?” Perkins further reminded to not look at the team’s past but the new leadership and then highlighted: “Utah has one of the best fan bases in the league,” followed by a question to Bailey: “What is the problem?” But is the young teen listening, or will the ‘vultures’ in Perkins’ words win?

The ownership still trusts Ace Bailey’s situation to turn around

At one point leading to the draft, he was sure to be the number 3 overall pick, and things were in motion. He drew attention after canceling a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers, who held the third overall pick in the draft. Furthermore, Bailey had reportedly declined invitations for a visit from the Utah Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets, who had the fourth overall pick. However, his agent Omar Cooper defended Bailey’s process.

“There is nothing uncommon about how Ace Bailey’s predraft process was handled,” Cooper said. Still, Utah believes in him. Bailey’s representatives, however, continued to calm the waters. Andrew Whitley, president of GSE Worldwide, sent a clear message about Ace Bailey’s situation. “Yeah, no, he’s thrilled to be going to Utah. We think he can do a lot of great things out there. Omar really focused more on fit rather than going third in the draft kind of thing.” For now, even the front office group seems confident.

“We do a lot of background calls and work on guys, and everyone loves being around Ace,” said Austin Ainge, their president of basketball operations. Even the minority owner, a 3x NBA champion and 5th overall pick himself in the 2003 draft, Dwyane Wade, was excited. “When you can get a player as talented as ACE with the 5th pick, you don’t overthink it, you do it! Good job @utahjazz,” Wade posted on X. That support came at a time when national media began raising tough questions about Bailey’s attitude. It’s clear the organization believes the potential reward outweighs the current tension. Now, it’s just a matter of whether Ace Bailey steps up to meet that belief.