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Austin Krell: Wizards have ruled out: - CJ McCollum - Khris Middleton - Kyshawn George - Will Riley - Cam Whitmore - Sharife Cooper - Jamir Watkins Meanwhile, on Sixers' side: all of Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Trendon Watford have been upgraded to PROBABLE.
Josh Robbins: The Wizards have listed Kyshawn George (left big toe contusion) as questionable to play tonight in Philly. Out are: AJ Johnson (G League assignment), Tre Johnson (hip flexor), Corey Kispert (thumb), Khris Middleton (second night of a back-to-back), Alex Sarr (adductor strain), Jamir Watkins (two-way) and Sharife Cooper (calf).
With every beginning, though, comes a closure. This month, Bailey cut ties with his former manager Omar Cooper, the controversial figure who played a large role in shaping Bailey’s pre-NBA development. It’s not yet clear who will represent Bailey, but there is a belief the change will eliminate some old distractions.
Tony Jones: Breaking: Utah Jazz first round pick Ace Bailey is parting ways with manager Omar Cooper, League Sources tell The Athletic. Bailey, who was the No. 5 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, is in the process of seeking new representation
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Wizards PR: The Washington Wizards have made the following roster moves, the team announced today: • Signed guard Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract • Signed guard Keshon Gilbert and forward Jonathan Pierre to Exhibit 10 contracts
Michael Scotto: The Washington Wizards have signed Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract. Cooper joins Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins on two-way contracts for Washington.
In that workout, balls were passed to the trio of prospects from a familiar face: Omar Cooper, Jr. Cooper Jr., the son of Bailey’s longtime manager Omar Cooper and the twin brother of former NBA Draft pick Sharife Cooper, has been invited by the Jazz to be a guest coach for the team’s summer league slate. Cooper Jr., a senior guard who averaged 1.7 points per game for McNeese State, is looking to get into coaching after a swollen appendix cost him the majority of his season.
Omar Cooper, Bailey’s agent, told ESPN NBA insiders Jonathan Givony and Tim Bontemps that there was “nothing uncommon” about how the predraft process was handled. “Every NBA team watched him work out in Chicago,” Cooper told ESPN. “He did 18 interviews. Everyone got his medical. They watched him run and jump. They got his measurements. “No one said anything when Davion Mitchell canceled a workout with the Toronto Raptors. No one criticized Evan Mobley when he didn’t work out for Cleveland, and they drafted him anyway.”
Adie von Gontard and Daniel Green, who are both NBPA-certified and from two different agencies, are Bailey’s agents, according to numerous reports. But, Cooper has been the person managing Bailey’s pre-draft situation. Cooper, the father of former NBA player Sharife Cooper, has been a part of Bailey’s camp since Bailey relocated to Atlanta and joined Cooper’s AAU team.
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During his appearance on Friday, Witlieb described the role played by Omar Cooper, who has been a main focus of criticism while acting as Bailey's adviser and not being a certified agent. "Omar really focused more on fit rather than going third in the draft, kind of thing," explained Witlieb. "He wanted some place where Ace could have the best possible basketball fit for his game, and we think Utah is one of the best possible places he could have gone."
ESPN reported that Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, informed one team drafting in the top five that Bailey would not report if that team chose him. It’s not clear which team that was. “The question is, is Ace Bailey going to report and what would happen if he didn’t? Windhorst asked. ”There’s not a crisis yet. What the Jazz are saying is, he’s not expected in Utah until the weekend and really what he needs to do is be there by Monday when their training camp for Summer League. “And if he’s there, no problem, hope his Jazz career gets off to a good start. If he’s not, let’s see what actions go from there.”
Sarah Todd: A lot of this stuff has previously been reported, but I'm working to confirm it. @jakelfischer.bsky.social was first to report that Omar Cooper is not NBPA certified. There is also some reporting about some legal issues regarding Cooper that I'm working to untangle.
Sarah Todd: Ok. So, confirmed that Omar Cooper is not an NBPA certified agent. Ace Bailey does have other representation in the way of an agent, so I'm not really sure why Cooper is calling himself Bailey's agent. But Cooper is reportedly the person who has been the voice for Ace throughout the predraft process
