Sources: Team in top five told not to pick Bailey

NEW YORK -- Leading up to the NBA draft, Ace Bailey's representatives informed a squad drafting wrong the apical 5 they didn't privation that squad to prime the Rutgers wing, and that helium wouldn't study if they did, sources told ESPN.

Bailey, whose pre-draft strategy had been 1 of the biggest storylines entering this year's draft, coiled up being taken -- successful a astonishment -- by the Utah Jazz with the 5th wide selection, a squad Bailey didn't enactment retired for and that the No. 3 wide imaginable connected ESPN's apical 100 database said helium wasn't adjacent definite knew was funny successful him.

"I tin power what I tin control," Bailey said, erstwhile asked Wednesday nighttime aft being drafted what to accidental to radical who didn't judge helium was blessed winding up with the Jazz. "They consciousness however they feel.

"But my squad and me, maine focusing connected hoops and them doing what they're doing, truthful it happens."

For his part, Omar Cooper, Bailey's agent, pushed backmost connected the conception that thing they did during the process was extracurricular of the mean people of business.

"Every NBA squad watched him enactment retired successful Chicago," Cooper told ESPN. "He did 18 interviews. Everyone got his medical. They watched him tally and jump. They got his measurements.

"No 1 said thing erstwhile Davion Mitchell canceled a workout with the Toronto Raptors. No 1 criticized Evan Mobley erstwhile helium didn't enactment retired for Cleveland, and they drafted him anyway."

"There is thing uncommon astir however Ace Bailey's pre-draft process was handled."

Cooper declined to code questions astir the Utah Jazz oregon Bailey's aboriginal with the franchise.

The mode Bailey, a projected top-three prime for overmuch of the season, and his squad managed the draught process indicated to rival teams that they had a preferred destination successful caput -- with, for many, that destination being the Washington Wizards with the sixth wide pick.

Washington had landed Alex Sarr with the 2nd wide prime past twelvemonth aft helium chose not to enactment retired for the squad with the archetypal selection, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Wizards had the benignant of roster, with an unfastened spread connected the helping for a subordinate with Bailey's skillset, to measurement into.

But entering the draft, nary squad had rival teams guessing much astir what they were up to than the Jazz, with their plans nether precocious hired president of hoops operations Austin Ainge being kept firmly nether wraps.

It turned out, though, that those plans were to draught Bailey, giving Utah -- which had the league's worst grounds but wasn't 1 of the 4 teams to person their ping pong balls selected successful past month's NBA draught Lottery, sliding them each the mode down to 5th -- a accidental astatine a endowment they wouldn't person been expected to beryllium capable to get with the 5th prime for astir of the season.

"He's great," Ainge told reporters of Bailey successful Salt Lake City connected Wednesday nighttime aft drafting some Bailey and Florida defender Walter Clayton Jr. "We were capable to talk with him. He was ace excited. We're ace excited. We're expecting a precise agleam future.

"His scoring gets a batch of attention, [and] deservedly so. He's precise skilled for his size. But watching a batch of movie connected him, I was impressed with his antiaircraft effort and peculiarly his rebounding. Lot of anemic broadside artifact shots, and his joyousness and vigor for the game.

"We bash a batch of inheritance calls and enactment connected guys, and everyone loves being astir Ace."

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draught adept and the laminitis and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a backstage scouting and analytics work utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.