The Jazz currently find themselves in a similar situation to the one the Golden State Warriors faced during the 2009 NBA Draft.
Ace Bailey, the fifth overall pick in this year's first round, is believed to be having second thoughts about reporting to Utah.
At least, that's what his absence from the team has some believing, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that the top-billed Rutgers star has yet to report to the Jazz and, along with this, has had very little communication with the organization since Wednesday's festivities.
Now, while Bailey's antics may have news outlets and media personalities questioning whether his future in the association will see him residing in Salt Lake City, the Warriors have experience dealing with a scenario akin to this that, based on how things ultimately played out, may put Jazz fans' fears at ease.
Stephen Curry was not interested in Warriors back in 2009 NBA Draft
Well before Stephen Curry established himself as a two-time league MVP and the cornerstone of the dynastic Dubs, he was a promising young prospect fresh out of Davidson who, heading into the 2009 draft, had his sights set on embarking on his NBA dream specifically outside of the Bay Area.
At this point, the superstar's draft-day desires are well documented and highly public -- he wanted the bright lights of New York City and nothing else.
Even his father, Dell, has admitted that, heading into the draft, he told then-Warriors coach Don Nelson directly that he and Steph would have a problem if Golden State ended up taking the point guard with their seventh overall selection.
While perhaps not a seamless comparison, the parallels between Curry's lack of interest in the Warriors and Ace Bailey's presumed unhappiness with heading to Utah are quite evident.
Even coming into the 2025 NBA Draft, the reports were that, like Curry, one of the 18-year-olds' preferred destinations was New York, albeit with the Nets, and ultimately declined to workout for Utah in hopes of bettering his odds of being drafted to where he wanted.
Steph used this exact same approach.
His agent is even believed to have told multiple teams not to draft Bailey in the top-five, with one of said clubs rumored to have been Utah.
Like the Warriors, despite the prospect's known disinterest, the Jazz still decided to go with who they believed to be the best available player when they were on the clock.
Obviously, things worked out pretty well for Golden State in their selection of the publicly disgruntled Stephen Curry.
Jazz fans are now hoping for a similar outcome with Ace Bailey.