Ace Bailey’s Summer League run may already be over.
The Utah Jazz wing was shut down for the second half of Sunday night’s game against the LA Clippers in Las Vegas because of back spasms, the same issue that surfaced in Utah’s first Summer League game against the Atlanta Hawks in Salt Lake City. NBA insider Sarah Todd of Deseret News reported that Bailey, who started and was making his first appearance in Vegas this year, would not return after the injury popped up again.
That’s the second time this summer the back issue has knocked him off the floor. Bailey had already been sidelined for three straight games before the matchup with the Clippers, resting for two of the three games in Salt Lake City and then sitting out Utah’s first game in Vegas against the Washington Wizards. He was listed as questionable before Sunday’s tip, but was ultimately cleared to play shortly before the game.
Before exiting, Bailey logged a little less than eight minutes. He didn’t score, going 0-for-5 from the field, and finished with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
The Jazz lost going away, falling 104-82 to Los Angeles. Cody Williams and Darryn Peterson both had rough nights offensively, finishing with plus-minus marks of -18 and -15, respectively. Peterson did manage to contribute two steals and two blocks.
Utah has already ruled out Bailey, Peterson and Williams for Monday’s second game of the back-to-back against the Clippers. There is still one more game on the schedule against the San Antonio Spurs in the days after that, so the Jazz’s Vegas slate may not be finished yet.
Still, Bailey’s situation feels different. With the back issue showing up more than once and already costing him about a week before he returned against the Clippers, Utah may decide there’s no reason to push it any further this summer. The safer move would be to protect him now and get him ready for the regular season in October.
That would make for a frustrating end to Bailey’s second Summer League, especially since his first one in 2025 was also cut short by injury. That time it was a hip flexor issue that followed him from Salt Lake City to Vegas. This summer, it’s been his back.
The bigger picture is simple: the Jazz want Bailey healthy for opening night. If that means his Vegas run is done, so be it. The priority now is getting the fifth-overall pick from last year’s draft to October in one piece and positioned for a sophomore breakout.
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The difference, of course, is how Jazz fans are supposed to feel about it. Minnesota was easy enough to watch from a distance, but the Lakers are another matter entirely, especially when those same former Jazz players can now affect Utah directly in the standings and the playoff chase. There is some irony in seeing ex-Jazz talent clustered in a place that can matter so much to the team they left behind, and that is what makes this one hit a little differently. [Read more 🡒]