Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, there have been a number of red flags raised by Bailey's rather unusual road to the league — including canceling workouts and refusing to meet with teams. Just hours before the draft, Bailey made another bold claim about his prep that left fans and evaluators unsure what to make of it all.

Rutgers wing Ace Bailey has been criticized for his questionable pre-draft strategy, but some reportedly feel that he already knows where he's headed in Wednesday night's 2025 NBA draft.

Bailey’s camp states they “feel confident going into the draft process,” which most NBA teams interpret as meaning he has received assurances of being selected by a team considered more advantageous to Bailey in the long term, considering factors such as geography, minutes, role, opportunity and development.