Malachi Moreno’s NBA stock, Milan Momcilovic’s plan and more UK basketball notes
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Malachi Moreno must decide by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27 whether to stay in the 2026 draft.
- Mark Giannotto of USA Today placed Moreno at No. 29 overall.
- Momcilovic would stay only for a guaranteed contract with first‑round comparable pay.
The NBA draft withdrawal deadline for college players is a week away, and Malachi Moreno’s decision remains the No. 1 talking point in Kentucky basketball circles.
Moreno was one of the buzziest topics at last week’s NBA Combine in Chicago, too.
The 7-footer has until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27 to make the call on whether he will stay in the 2026 draft or return to UK for his sophomore season, and he made it clear during his media session at the Combine that he’s grappling with the decision.
His stock is, according to some, on the rise.
In the first major mock draft to be posted after the basketball activities in Chicago wrapped up, USA Today’s Mark Giannotto, who was in attendance at the Combine, placed Moreno at No. 29 overall, going to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the penultimate pick in the first round.
That was the first mock draft from a major outlet to put Moreno in first-round territory since the NBA draft order was set with the lottery draw to kick off Combine week two Sundays ago, and it’s yet another indication that Moreno will be faced with a difficult decision in the coming days.
On Monday afternoon, Yahoo Sports updated its mock draft for the first time since the Combine ended, and that board had Moreno rated even higher, with the UK center going to the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 23 overall pick.
There was ample talk surrounding Moreno last week in Chicago, especially after the Kentucky native’s last-minute decision to pull out of the optional scrimmages in front of NBA scouts. Moreno said he made that call after conferring with his inner circle, which includes older brother Michael Moreno, a former Eastern Kentucky basketball standout and the UK player’s closest adviser.
“After talks with my brother and my agent, they kind of just said that they thought I was in a pretty good spot,” the 19-year-old Wildcat said last week.
Moreno told the Herald-Leader that he had already met with representatives from the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers during Combine week, and he had a private workout for the New York Knicks before arriving in Chicago. The Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all hold late first-round picks this year.
Moreno also has a pro day in Los Angeles this week, and he said he was in talks with other NBA teams to travel for private workouts between that showcase and the May 27 deadline, acknowledging that his decision could go down to the wire.
Others in Chicago were skeptical of his rising stock, however, especially after his strength and agility numbers at the event came in at underwhelming levels.
CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein, who was also at the Combine, wrote in the aftermath of the talent showcase that the buzz around Moreno’s potential as a first-rounder could simply be “negotiating leverage” to raise the value of his NIL package at Kentucky next season.
That was a sentiment shared by others that the Herald-Leader talked to behind the scenes in Chicago, where the consensus was that Moreno would ultimately choose to return to college basketball for another season and perhaps raise his stock even more going into the 2027 draft.
Finkelstein updated the CBS Sports big board Monday afternoon, placing Moreno at No. 43 overall.
It’s important to note that if Moreno does pull out of the NBA draft, he will be a Kentucky Wildcat next season. Unlike others on the fence ahead of next week’s deadline, Moreno did not enter his name in the transfer portal before that window closed and made it clear from the beginning of the process that he would play his sophomore year at UK if he returns to school.
Milan Momcilovic update
While Kentucky waits on Moreno, there’s been nearly as much focus locally on former Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, who appears to be Mark Pope’s final chance at landing one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal.
Momcilovic, who led the NCAA in 3-point percentage and total 3-point makes as a junior with the Cyclones last season, was pretty clear about what it would take for him to stay in the NBA draft pool beyond that May 27 deadline.
And his needs might not ultimately match up with what an NBA team has to offer this summer.
The current reality for most NBA draft picks is that they could spend a sizable chunk of their first pro season in the G League, and that’s not what Momcilovic envisions for his rookie year.
He wants to be on an NBA roster from the get-go.
“I think it kind of depends on the fit (with a) team,” he told the Herald-Leader of what he’d be weighing with his stay-or-go decision. “Let’s say they have really high interest in me or maybe promise me something — kind of where I’d fit on that team, how they could help me improve to become a good NBA player and get meaningful minutes.
“And then also, I mean, people are going to get sent down to the G League. That’s just how it works. But I’m not trying to be in the G League for most of the year, because I don’t feel like that would benefit me very well. I feel like if I were to do that, then obviously I’d go back to college.”
The Herald-Leader was also told in Chicago that Momcilovic, who is not currently projected as a first round pick, would be open to staying in the draft if a team was willing to take him early in the second round, but only if the contract was guaranteed and the salary was comparable to that of a first-rounder. (Contracts for second round picks are not automatically guaranteed.)
The consensus in college basketball circles is that Momcilovic, who turns 22 years old in September, would likely stand to make more money in one season at the NCAA level than he would over the course of his first two seasons in the NBA, even with a guaranteed contract.
So, the 6-8 forward is in a pretty good negotiating position with that deadline looming.
If Momcilovic does withdraw from the draft, Kentucky will be a major player for his services. He acknowledged that his recruitment would come down to “three or four” schools, in that scenario, and he also said he didn’t think he would need to take any campus visits to make a decision on his next college destination.
UK, Louisville, St. John’s and UCLA have been the schools mentioned as potential landing spots, but most of the chatter in Chicago revolved around the Cats and the Cards.
Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points per game and shot 48.7% from 3-point range last season.
Otega Oweh’s future
The leading scorer on each of Mark Pope’s first two Kentucky teams acquitted himself well during Combine week.
Otega Oweh did opt to play in the scrimmage portion of the event, and he tallied 20 points in the first game and 21 points in the second, flashing some of that consistent scoring ability that UK fans grew accustomed to over the past two seasons.
Oweh, who measured at 6-4.25 (without shoes) with a 6-8.25 wingspan, showed he could create his own shot in the halfcourt offense while also contributing to his team in the flow of the game, another trait he often showed in Lexington.
As a big, strong, physical guard, Oweh could carve out a role as a two-way player for an NBA team. He told the Herald-Leader that the Oklahoma City Thunder were the first team he met with in Chicago, and the reigning NBA champions (and favorites to repeat this year) currently hold the No. 12, 17 and 37 picks, though there are likely to be plenty of trades over the course of the two-night draft next month.
OKC already has plenty of UK basketball connections. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the team’s star player and won his second consecutive NBA MVP award this week, while fellow former Kentucky guard Cason Wallace led the league in steals this season in just his third year in the NBA.
Oweh is currently viewed as a potential second-round pick, though he’s not a lock to be drafted. The Athletic projected him at No. 56 overall in its post-lottery mock draft last week. CBS Sports placed him at No. 48 on its post-Combine board Monday afternoon. Yahoo had Oweh at No. 53 in its new mock draft Monday.
There will be a total of 60 picks in this year’s draft.
