Nets Join Wizards and Pelicans in Ace Bailey Draft Talks, Eye Moving Up

Over the past 24 hours, the belief was that Ace Bailey was purposefully trying to tank his draft stock in hopes of landing somewhere along the East Coast. The Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards were tabbed as Bailey's preferred destinations—but there's a chance he gets his wish without tumbling down big boards.

Per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Brooklyn, Washington and the New Orleans Pelicans are each eying a trade-up with the Philadelphia 76ers to select the Rutgers standout.

"The Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets are all interested in moving up to draft Ace Bailey," Pompey wrote Thursday.

Should this become reality, Bailey gets his desire without losing any guaranteed money. For context, if Bailey were to be taken third-overall instead of falling five slots, he'd make 62% more in his rookie season. Over four years, he'd make 61% more if selected at three rather than eight. That's a substantial difference.

Now, as I speculated yesterday, Bailey attempting to force his way to Brooklyn or Washington doesn't mean that's where he'll end up. As Pompey reports, New Orleans could try to snag the lanky scorer—ruining Bailey's East Coast quest. Plus, I still think there's reason to believe the 76ers may draft Bailey anyway, regardless of the player's desires.

Outside of the pre-draft drama, Bailey's fit with Brooklyn is certainly interesting. Having him and Cam Thomas featured as primary weapons on offense could inflict nightmares on the Nets' rivals, especially with Jordi Fernandez playing the role of developer.

It also seems likely that, if Brooklyn manages to trade up to three, Cam Johnson is shipped to Philadelphia. Bailey would assume Johnson's role on day one, giving him plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. Johnson averaged 13.1 shot attempts per game last season, a hefty workload that could be placed on the incoming Rutgers star.

General manager Sean Marks made several trips to New Jersey to scout Bailey and his co-star, Dylan Harper, last season. If the Nets' front office wants to capitalize on the time put into scouting the duo, trading up to draft Bailey may be the only way of doing so.