The Utah Jazz raised eyebrows when they selected Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, so much so that the Rutgers star was also surprised with the move since he refused to work out or interview with them.
After the first round, former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague advised the 18-year-old swingman to make the most of his current situation with the Utah Jazz rather than forcing his way out to go elsewhere.
“When you make it to the NBA, the biggest thing is they have banks in every city. So you’re going to be able to go to the bank. You’re going to get to have fun. You’re not there that long; you’re there for six or seven months at most; you’re going to go home. You’ll be back in Atlanta or Miami very soon. Go ahead and get your game right, hoop, play, and it’s probably the best for you bro,” Teague said on Club 520 podcast.
“You need to keep the main thing the main thing. Do what Donovan Mitchell did. He had it lit in Utah. They were going to the playoffs. They were winning; nobody cared. He had his own shoe; he got his own s**t in Utah; then he left,” he added.
Ace Bailey reveals his true feelings on being drafted by the Utah Jazz
Ace Bailey seems excited to join the Utah Jazz, even if he reportedly never wanted to go there in the first place. He and Walter Clayton Jr. will join a team littered with youth, and Bailey can’t wait to get to work with his new squad.
“I fit in good because we all young, so we all got a lot to learn,” Bailey said via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “We can play with each other, get to know each other, how we play, how we fit in, what works, and then also, I don’t know a lot about Utah, but I’m learning as we go.”
“I know it’s cold and it’s hot. It get cold, and it get hot here. Gotta find me a place with a good heater,” he added.
