Utah Jazz’s Ace Bailey Parts Ways With Representation

Undoubtably some significant news surrounding the Jazz's top-five pick after a whirlwind of a media storm surrounded both Bailey and Cooper earlier this summer.

Cooper, who was a helping hand for Bailey throughout the top prospect's draft process, was a vital component in Bailey taking his controversial approach upon becoming one of the more notable storylines leading up to draft night.

Bailey and his camp would go on to decline and cancel workouts with various teams, including the Jazz, leading up to draft night. There was also a short list of preferred teams in which Bailey wanted to end up, and might've inevitably cost the Rutgers product millions of dollars coming into the league by dropping his stock multiple spots at the top of the lottery.

Those would all be directives from his management led by Omar Cooper; decisions which would be largely questioned and scrutinized upon Bailey's introduction to the league, and would wind up navigating him to the Jazz at the number five pick with their front office's bold gamble to select him despite all of his pre-draft chatter.

But now, fast forward three months, and Bailey and Cooper have severed ties; likely acting as a sigh of relief within the Jazz brass as their top rookie will now seek out another rep to help his transition into the league.

The news of Bailey and Cooper's split also comes shortly after developments surfaced of the Washington Wizards being the preferred team his camp had in mind before draft night.

That, of course, would be an effort that failed with Utah's selection just one pick ahead of the Wizards, who sat at sixth-overall, but it makes you wonder if those leaks would act as a tipping point between the first-year Jazz wing and his management for their eventual parting of ways.

It remains to be seen exactly who that representation will be for Bailey, a layer that will likely be sorted out in the coming days to weeks.