Ace Bailey is considered the most talented prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft after Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, but he is also the riskiest. On paper, the Utah Jazz are one of the teams that should be willing to roll the dice on him, but they may grit their teeth if they do. One way they could feel more comfortable doing so is if they get another lottery pick, and Jake Fischer explained how they could.
Before laying out the scenario that could get the Jazz to take Bailey, Fischer revealed that picking him is not out of the question for Utah, but that could be because they don't know who they want to select at No. 5.
"Lottery teams picking below Utah aren't ruling out the Jazz from selecting Bailey fifth. There does not appear to be a surefire phenom for the Jazz to target after the team with the league's worst record this season (17-65) fell as far as it possibly could in the lottery," Fischer wrote.
Bailey has seen his name in headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. He hasn't done a workout, and recently canceled the workout he had with the Philadelphia 76ers. No one's exactly sure what he's trying to pull, but that's a big yikes for any team considering picking him. With that out of the way, Fischer revealed the hypothetical that could make Utah feel at ease drafting Bailey.
"An upside gamble on Bailey, in theory, could certainly appeal to the Jazz and their new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge. The Jazz also hold the No. 21 pick, veterans such as Collin Sexton and John Collins who are regarded as potential trade candidates and future draft capital to try and acquire an additional lottery pick after theoretically using its own on Bailey."
Fischer clarified that this is all hypothetical and not actually intel.
Hey man, if you're gonna undercut our business model and actively tell people not to subscribe because you're gonna aggregate it, at least be accurate with it. We absolutely did not write Utah "will" try to do that, we were expounding theoretically...
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 19, 2025
Still though, the Jazz have the assets to potentially get another pick in a loaded draft class. There are a few variables at play here though.
The two variables that could determine acquiring another lottery pick
The Jazz would be wise to come away with another lottery pick, especially if they decided to take Bailey. However two factors at play would determine whether the Jazz could get that lottery pick.
1. Who would be willing to sell off their lottery pick?
A few win-now teams are in the lottery, but odds are the ones with a top-three pick wouldn't trade that away to Utah unless the plan is to trade down instead of away. The teams that pick after Utah - Washington, New Orleans, and Brooklyn - are going the opposiite route and would prefer to trade up, but not trade away.
After that is where it gets interesting. Toronto may be willing to dangle the No. 9 pick, but only for an established star (which is why they're in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes). Ditto goes for Houston, who are in the same boat.
After that, maybe San Antonio, Chicago, Portland, or Atlanta would be willing to do it, but would they want what Fischer floated from the Jazz's end as a trade return?
2. What else would the Jazz be willing to dangle?
Fischer mentioned Sexton, Collins, and the No. 21 pick in the draft. That's not a bad haul for a lottery team who wants to win, but it might not be enough. Lauri Markkanen may also have to be dangled, but last we checked, the Jazz will not dump him and by extension, may want more than one lottery pick for him.
It would be a good way to get value out of Collins and Sexton, but since both are expiring, teams may not want to invest much in flight risks. Regardless, this is expected to be one epic night for the NBA, and the Jazz just might be involved in the pandemonium.