Kentucky remains in the mix for Milan Momcilovic despite his NBA dreams

Kentucky's transfer portal endeavors this offseason progressed from an incredibly slow start to, suddenly, an outbreak. Mark Pope quickly filled out the majority of his roster in the short span on a few weeks, following a few priority targets deciding to take their talents elsewhere.

Since then, though, things have once again ground to a halt. As Kentucky waits on Malachi Moreno to make his NBA Draft decision, any other addition - for one of the team's few remaining scholarships - appears a way off. Especially in the case of star transfer forward Milan Momcilovic, the Wildcats could be checking their watches in his regard as long as they are Moreno.

Per Isaac Trotter, while Kentucky is still firmly in the mix (alongside Louisville and St. John's), Momcilovic remains solely focused on the draft. In fact, he's not even spoken to colleges yet, with his agents seemingly handling those negotiations in his wake.

A return to college would signal the failure of a few specific points for Momcilovic. In that case, according to Jack Pilgrim, Kentucky is expected to be in aggressive pursuit.

The Wildcats Are Hot on the Case

"I'm sure, if I have to go back, there's a spot open for me somewhere," said Momcilovic at the NBA Combine, further emphasizing obvious intention to stay in the draft. Still, it says something (more than nothing) that he himself is acknowledging the possibility.

When it comes to potentially fully committing to the NBA this time around, Momcilovic is looking for "very high interest" from teams. He continued: "Obviously some promises, but I don't think teams promise that early."

"If there's guaranteed contracts, that would be good. If it's the later second round those are usually two-way contracts, so then I would probably go back..." Momcilovic also noted that, if he does return, he's looking for a fit that he could play well in.

Momcilovic mentioned being on a good team, on which he could "go far in the tournament." That's music to blue and white ears and, at Kentucky, the scoring forward would essentially be the final key piece.

The Final Piece

It's easy to make an argument for Momcilovic as the best shooter, and one of the best scorers, in the country. Having put up just under 17 points per game with Iowa State last season and shooting north of 48% from long range, he's basically a pure points guy that can be plugged in at the center of any offense.

For a Kentucky team that had carved out a role for Tyran Stokes at the three-spot, before Stokes spurned the Cats for Kansas, Momcilovic could simply click into that position instead. His lengthy scoring fits Pope's offensive bill specifically, which could play into the Cats' pitch.

With high-assist guards and a more than solid bench in tow, too, Kentucky has all the alluring aspect that a player like Momcilovic could want in a potential fit. Oh, and they've got millions of NIL dollars left over from the aforementioned Stokes' intended deal.

That should help, too.

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