On March 30, 2018, Bazley announced that he would skip college with plans to join the NBA G League directly from high school. In April, he hired sports agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, who Bazley was expected to play under in college before the move, responded, "I hope he does great. But I don't think it's the way it will be. I think it will be proven it's not the way to get to the NBA." An article from Bleacher Report speculated that Bazley could be "the face of the end of one-and-done" for NBA draft eligibility because of his decision. On August 27, Bazley announced that he would drop his G League plans altogether, opting instead to train on his own for the season. On October 25, he began a three-month internship with New Balance worth $1 million. After concluding his internship, Bazley became one of the first players to enter the 2019 NBA draft, later being named one of 77 overall prospects invited to the 2019 NBA Draft Combine.