How the looming NBA draft deadline could affect Kentucky’s 2026-27 season
What was arguably the biggest decision of this Kentucky basketball offseason has already been made.
UK center Malachi Moreno announced Sunday night that he would pull out of the 2026 NBA draft and return to Lexington for another season with the Cats, providing a major boost for Mark Pope’s program and putting an end to the speculation surrounding his future well ahead of the withdrawal deadline.
Earlier this spring, Pope said that retaining Moreno was “the No. 1 priority” for the UK coaching staff heading into the offseason. The 7-footer from Georgetown is likely to be projected as a first-round pick in the 2027 draft, and the Cats will have him for at least one more year.
Kentucky’s offseason is not yet complete, however.
While Pope has built an intriguing roster for the 2026-27 campaign, it’s still not one that has led the Cats to be included in the preseason Top 25 rankings from national college basketball outlets. To make those lists, UK will need to do more. And time is running out on the roster-building process.
But this week’s NBA draft deadline could offer more opportunities for the Cats to close ground on their top rivals. College players currently in the draft pool have until 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday to withdraw from consideration and retain their NCAA eligibility for next season.
Here’s a look at the biggest decisions yet to be made, as of Tuesday morning.
Milan Momcilovic and Kentucky
If Moreno was the No. 1 focus in UK basketball circles over the past few weeks, Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic was a close second.
The 6-8 junior from Wisconsin entered the transfer portal this spring, but he wanted to go through the NBA draft process before exploring his college options, and his stay-or-go decision had not been made going into the final days before the deadline.
The expectation in both NBA and NCAA circles has been that Momcilovic, who was the top 3-point shooter in the country last season, would ultimately withdraw from the draft and return to college for his senior year.
He has been open about needing a first-round guarantee — or a promise of an early second-round selection by a team that would be willing to offer a “good” rookie contract — and none of the most prominent draft boards had him projected among the top 30 picks heading into the week.
If Momcilovic does opt for a return to college, it’s been estimated that he would receive a compensation package for the 2026-27 season that could exceed what he would make over the first two years of a guaranteed NBA contract.
Kentucky is one of the few programs in the country that could realistically land Momcilovic at this stage in the offseason, with Louisville and St. John’s viewed as the other top contenders for his commitment, should he indeed pull out of the draft.
U of L and St. John’s are ranked No. 14 and 16, respectively, in the latest update from CBS Sports, which does not have UK in its Top 25. National analysts have told the Herald-Leader in recent weeks that adding Momcilovic would vault the Cats into top-15 territory in such rankings, making the 21-year-old sharpshooter the top priority for Pope as he looks to round out his roster.
Allen Graves and Tounde Yessoufou
While Momcilovic emerged weeks ago as the No. 1 potential transfer on most UK fans’ wish list, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou have also been linked to the Cats this spring. Neither of those players had made their stay-or-go decisions public, as of Tuesday morning.
Graves, who nearly ended Kentucky’s season with a late 3-pointer in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, would be another seemingly seamless fit for Pope’s offensive approach due to his ability as a passer and shooter on the perimeter, coupled with some toughness and physicality at the 4 spot, which remains a question mark on the current UK roster.
But Graves is widely projected as a first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft and could opt to begin his pro career now. If he does pull out of the draft by Wednesday night, the 6-9 forward has been clear that LSU and Duke would be his top options, though Kentucky would likely make one more run at him.
Yessoufou — a 6-5 guard from the West African country of Benin — averaged 17.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a freshman at Baylor last season and could provide the Cats with some scoring punch, as well as a high motor and physical presence on the defensive end.
He was a top recruiting target for Kentucky out of high school and had nothing but good things to say about Pope during an interview with the Herald-Leader at the NBA Combine in Chicago earlier this month, but he, too, has been projected as a first-round pick on several prominent draft boards in recent weeks and has been adamant about his desire to remain in this year’s draft.
It would be a surprise if Yessoufou opts to withdraw before the Wednesday night deadline, but Kentucky would be interested under that (increasingly unlikely) scenario. UCLA is another option if he decides to come back to college for the 2026-27 season.
Other NBA draft decisions
Momcilovic, Graves and Yessoufou are all among the top five players in the 247Sports transfer rankings. Beyond that trio, there’s not much help to be found in the portal.
In fact, the only other uncommitted players in the 247Sports top 200 are former Oklahoma State guard Vyctorius Miller (No. 88) and former Cal Poly guard Hamad Mousa (No. 94). That drives home the importance of Momcilovic to Kentucky’s future plans.
Those three portal undecideds weren’t the only players of interest heading into the NBA draft deadline Wednesday night. Several others were still on the fence when the week began, and a few of those decisions will have a major impact on the fortunes of some of UK’s top rivals.
Arkansas coach John Calipari is still waiting on a couple of key players from last season’s Sweet 16 team. Meelek Thomas and Billy Richmond both went through the NBA draft process this spring, and neither had made a public stay-or-go announcement by Tuesday morning.
Thomas is generally regarded as a late first-round pick, at best, in this year’s draft, while Richmond is viewed as a second-rounder on most boards. If both come back, which appears to be the most likely scenario, the Razorbacks could be a top-10 team this preseason.
Vanderbilt point guard Tyler Tanner is also still on the fence heading into the Wednesday deadline.
He was one of the smallest players at the Combine earlier this month — not quite 5-11 (without shoes) and 166 pounds — but his talent on the court is undeniable, and he’d be one of the preseason favorites for SEC player of the year honors if he returns to college. Vandy could also be a Top 25 team if Tanner is back in Nashville. He’s generally projected as a second-round pick in this year’s draft.
Alabama wing Amari Allen has been generating late first-round buzz in recent weeks after just one season with Nate Oats’ program. The Crimson Tide will likely be ranked in the preseason no matter what Allen decides, but they’ll be much better positioned to compete for an SEC title should he opt to return to school.
