Will polarizing prospect Ace Bailey fall all the way to Toronto Raptors in NBA Draft?
The Toronto Raptors just might be the beneficiaries of one of the strangest happenings in recent draft memory.
Toronto holds the ninth overall and the 39th overall picks in this yearâs NBA draft, and is weighing its options for who to choose.
At the top of the draft is the expectation that Duke star Cooper Flagg will head to the Dallas Mavericks at first overall, with Rutgers guard Dylan Harper expected to head second overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
While a blockbuster trade could alter that draft order, most scouts and draft experts have been touting the notion that the draft “starts with the third pick,” which currently belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers.
For a long while â i.e., most of the season — Harper’s teammate in Ace Bailey was the projected third pick, and the expectation was that he’d head to Philadelphia after they slotted in that position after the NBA Draft Lottery in May.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo describes Bailey “a tantalizing scoring prospect,” adding that “no player in this draft class is more dangerous in a tight window than Bailey.”
Averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in his lone season at Rutgers, the 6-foot-7 forward has a shot at being a future NBA star.
But in recent weeks, Bailey’s unique approach to the draft process has left many wondering if he’ll end up on a notable slide down the draft charts.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that Bailey “remains the only U.S.-based prospect yet to visit any NBA teams,” while adding he recently cancelled a workout with the 76ers.
When asked to give his strengths and weaknesses at the NBA combine, Bailey replied that he “ain’t got no weaknesses.”
Favorite part of our ESPN Combine broadcast interviews was easily Ace Bailey's answer to Sean Farnham's question.
"Ain't got no weaknesses and I got more than two strengths big dog" đđ pic.twitter.com/RTTUXzvOla
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2025
College basketball writer Jeff Goodman shared the news that Bailey’s agent was looking for payment for on-camera interviews, a major departure from standard operating procedure for pretty much any athlete.
Baileyâs agent, Omar Cooper, also wanted to get paid to do on-camera interviews this past season.
It just seems as though Ace Bailey has received some poor advice over the past year.
Has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. https://t.co/PefNUuq7n9
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 17, 2025
It appears that Bailey might be more interested in his future team fit than his actual draft positioning. And it’s a complicated game for NBA teams to navigate: with less information on him than they’d have on any of his peers, would a team with a top-five pick be willing to commit to Bailey? Not everyone thinks so.
Would Ace Bailey make sense on the Toronto Raptors?
The short answer: most likely.
Whatever concerns teams might have about Bailey, his upside appears quite high. Toronto has two former All-Stars on their roster in Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, but hardly has a nucleus that appears ready to contend for an NBA title.
It’s not every day you get a possible top-five talent outside of the top-five in the draft, and you’d have to imagine the Raptors would take a swing on Bailey if he fell all the way to nine. Being confident in oneself is a quality praised among star players, as long as it’s backed up by strong play.
ESPN’s most recent mock draft has Bailey going sixth to Washington, as does one done by Sports Illustrated. NBADraft.net has him at seventh to New Orleans. SBNation’s is the lone major mock draft that sees Bailey fall all the way to ninth, while several other mock drafts see him anywhere from the third to fifth selection.
At the very least, there’s far from a consensus of what actually will happen with Bailey come draft night.
The NBA Draft is set for June 25 and 26 at Brooklynâs Barclays Center, so we’ll have an answer soon enough.