Sometimes, the best gets are the ones you already have. In the case of Malachi Moreno, Kentucky retaining the home-state, SEC-built big man was an ideal start to the offseason. Regardless of what has happened since, Moreno was bound to be a hot commodity if he hit the transfer portal.
Mark Pope kept him in town. He's owed some big blue kudos there, no doubt.
Yet the portal wasn't the only threat to Moreno remaining in the blue and white. In the light of a recent mock draft from Bleacher Report, what originally seemed like "testing the waters" in the NBA Draft may quickly become a reason for Moreno to leave. On that list, Moreno is hypothetically selected to the New York Knicks with the 31st pick.
A Potential First-Rounder?
Compared to Nick Richards, curiously enough, writer Jonathan Wasserman outlined Moreno's potential path to a higher draft selection than most previously thought.
"With NIL bringing back a number of projected first-rounders, Malachi Moreno has a chance to capitalize during the draft process," he started. "There is already enough intrigue around a 19-year-old, 7-footer with strong shot-blocking and passing metrics, plus some touch indicators."
"Certain teams would prefer to gamble on a freshman with Moreno's tools, production, impact and historically translatable/valued archetype, rather than a projected 23-year-old rookie in a shallow draft," he continued.
"Scrimmages at the NBA combine will represent a huge opportunity for Moreno to generate more first-round interest."
The Waiting Game
Not only is Moreno's current projection worrying for the Wildcats, but with the NBA Combine not set to wrap up until later this month, the timeline for Kentucky to find a potential replacement is downright harrowing. The worst part of it all, it seems, is that the most anyone can do is sit back and wait.
Of course, Moreno skipping out for a first-round pick would likely be good for his career; Kentucky fans are always in support of one of their own doing what's best for them. The frustration would then fall on a staff that, as of now, has no apparent backup plan.
Though in the same breath, Moreno's leave would mean an extra share of NIL funds remains to offer his potential replacement. Finding his replacement, it seems, would be the primary issue.
All Cats fans can do is cross their fingers and hope for the best. Although, it's okay to get a little "dooming" out online if you absolutely must.
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