After some amount of will-he-or-won’t-he drama, it’s official: Ace Bailey has reported to the Utah Jazz.
Bailey arrived on Saturday and was photographed leaving the plane at Salt Lake City International Airport wearing a Jazz T-shirt. The first person he shook the hand of upon reaching the ground was head coach Will Hardy.
The Jazz selected Bailey, from Rutgers University, with the No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday.
Some national voices worried whether Bailey would report to Utah after his camp made it clear in the days leading up to the draft that he would prefer not to be selected by the Jazz, or any of the other teams in the draft’s top five. Instead, Bailey reportedly preferred being drafted by Washington or Brooklyn.
Still, Bailey’s actions, reporting to the team on time in Jazz gear, seem to indicate his buy-in for the future.
The Jazz then posted a few videos of Bailey working out in the Jazz’s practice facility.
Bailey will join fellow draft picks Walter Clayton Jr. and John Tonje at a news conference on Sunday at 4 p.m. Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge will join the three on the podium.
Beginning next week, the draft picks will prepare for the Salt Lake City Summer League, which begins on July 5. This year, due to renovations to the Delta Center, the tournament is taking place at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center.
