Rutgers star Ace Bailey is one target in mind for teams looking to make an aggressive trade up in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will have two of their players selected early in the 2025 NBA Draft, but while Dylan Harper is almost guaranteed to be chosen inside the first two picks the other freshman star from his team has seen significant dissent recently in mock drafts.

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.