The Utah Jazz have Ace Bailey for the next four years at least. Bailey has superstar potential, but the only way to know his true ceiling is to see how he does when he takes the NBA floor next month. If Bailey turns into a franchise player, that's great news for the Jazz, but at the same time, that only amplifies more pressure to build a winning team around him, as the Wizards were his preference.
In his September 22 Substack post, Marc Stein confirmed that Bailey had told every team in the top five not to select him in hopes of being picked by Washington. However, Utah opposed his wishes and picked him at No. 5.
"This one has been in circulation since draft night in June: Washington is the lottery team, according to various rivals, that was the preferred landing spot for Ace Bailey.
"The Wizards had the sixth overall pick. Bailey's camp refused to engage with teams interested in bringing him in for an individual workout in the days leading up to the June 25 draft in the apparent hope of steering himself to the Wizards. Then Utah, with the No. 5 overall pick, stunningly selected Bailey despite a flurry of external suggestions that the Rutgers star wouldn't want to be in Salt Lake City and might even refuse to report to the Jazz."
This was already common knowledge during the draft process, but the Jazz made it clear to Bailey that they didn't care, signaling that they believe in his potential. He may very well reward them on their faith, but it puts them on the clock to build a winner around him before he has the chance to leave.
The Jazz must prove they are better long-term than the Wizards
Whether it's at the end of his rookie deal or his second deal, Bailey may want to make his dreams of becoming a Wizard come true regardless. It's why Utah can't waste any time building a winning team while they have him. That won't happen right away, but if Utah shows its promise once Bailey becomes extension eligible, that could be enough to convince him to stick around.
Bailey has not made a stink since the Jazz drafted him and has even made it clear how welcome he feels by the fanbase, which is a good sign, but that may not deter him from his desire to be a Wizard. No one will know for sure, as Steph Curry had a change of heart, but not every case is the same, and the Jazz are aware of this from their own history.
However, building a playoff team around previous Jazz stars hasn't always worked. Gordon Hayward left the Jazz just as they had built the best team they ever had around him (though that had more to do with the franchise's mishandling of his extension than any issue with Utah). Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were traded when it was clear the Jazz's ceiling with them was limited.
Utah has the assets to build a winner around Bailey over the next four years. While they shouldn't have pressure to build the perfect team, they will have pressure to build the right team.