Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) slap hands with fans after the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

NBA Veteran Sounds off on 76ers' Draft Prospect

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 3:41 PM ET

In the lead up to Wednesday night's draft, the NBA world has still been mulling over the events that took place last week, surrounding former Rutgers University star Ace Bailey and his decision to not work out with the Philadelphia 76ers, despite having previously planned to.

The move came as a bit of a surprise as the former Scarlet Knight was cemented into the third spot for a good chunk of the lead-up to Wednesday night, with his sudden drop attributed to a mixture of NBA Combine interviews with various front offices, along with his decision not to work out with certain teams.

As various voices around the scene have given their input on the situation, former NBA player Jeff Teague gave his view on the matter on a recent episode of Club 520. Teague offered a blunt take on Bailey's decision, seeing it as a rather thick decision on the part of the prospect's agent.

"That's the dumbest move I've ever heard from an agent in my life..." Teague stated. "His agent is horrible... you don't have to work out, but you can go meet with the teams... Nobody else is declining them, Dylan Harper ain't declining them... Tre Johnson not declining them."

Despite not working out with the team, Philadelphia is reportedly still considering taking Bailey with their pick. Given his scoring output of 17.6 points per game with the Scarlet Knights, there is a reason the Sixers' front office is interested in him.

Teague isn't buying into the hype surrounding Bailey's fit in Philadelphia, feeling that there already lies a better option in soon-to-be second-year player Justin Edwards.

"They got a player that's better than him in Philly, [Justin] Edwards, I swear Edwards is nice..." Teague said. "He just got messed up in that Kentucky system, but he can really hoop."

To Teague's point, the Philadelphia native took the immediate step up from a two-way deal with the Sixers to a standard contract in the span of half a season. In his rookie campaign, Edwards averaged 10.1 points per game on 45.5 percent from the field.