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Ace Bailey, one of the top prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, has decided to call off his end-of-week visit and meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers before the 2025 NBA Draft, league sources told ClutchPoints on Wednesday evening.
The Rutgers star and his representation were scheduled to meet with Sixers personnel on Friday, following the team's recent meeting with VJ Edgecombe. Edgecombe has surpassed Bailey as the favorite to be the third pick by Philadelphia in next Wednesday's draft.
While this news comes at a very awkward time in the pre-draft process, Bailey and his camp remain confident that he is one of the best players in this draft class and that his body of work on the court speaks for itself, sources said. He does not plan to meet with any teams between now and the draft on June 25.
Throughout the pre-draft process, Bailey has seen a variety of conflicting reports regarding where he will ultimately begin his NBA journey. While there are no questions about his skill translating to the level of a prospect who should hear his name called within the first few picks of the draft, many teams and scouts have operated with a sense of hesitance regarding Bailey.
He has not individually worked out for any teams and has not met with front-office personnel since the NBA Draft Combine in May. Despite receiving invitations to work out for teams with top-6 picks like the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets, Bailey declined them due to his confidence in being one of the draft's top prospects, sources said.
Bailey canceling his workout with the 76ers was first reported by ESPN.
Both Bailey and Dylan Harper have been on the 76ers' radar over the last year, as the team scouted both players extensively at Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, roughly an hour away from Philadelphia.
The 76ers and executive Daryl Morey continue to field offers for the third-overall pick in this year's draft. Philadelphia has also made a few calls to the San Antonio Spurs about the possibility of moving up one spot to select Harper, sources confirmed on Wednesday night.
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Multiple future first-round picks have been offered in exchange for the rights to take Harper, sources said. However, the Spurs haven't given any indications that they are seriously considering any offers to move out from this spot in the draft.
This will leave the Sixers with a major decision to make regarding Bailey, Edgecombe, and other prospects on the board such as Kon Knueppel and Tre Johnson with the third pick. Although the 76ers could still select Bailey, there is a growing belief around the league that he will fall to the fourth pick, putting the Charlotte Hornets in an intriguing spot.
As recently reported by ClutchPoints, both the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans have shown significant interest in Bailey. New Orleans recently traded away a future first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers to secure the 23rd pick in this year's draft in addition to the seventh-overall selection.
While league sources have indicated that Bailey shouldn't fall past the Utah Jazz with the fifth pick, there is a lot of skepticism about whether Austin Ainge, Utah's new president of basketball operations, would make such a selection as his first major move.
Bailey has been the most-discussed prospect in recent days with the NBA Draft less than a week away. Many organizations are now expecting a team to attempt and trade up for the athletic, high-flying wing should he fall past the Hornets with the fourth pick.
Where Bailey ends up in the 2025 NBA Draft has become the talk of the league, and this canceled visit with the 76ers only adds to the level of concerns many teams share about him. What the 76ers ultimately decide next Wednesday during the draft will change the entire trajectory of the first round.
