Last offseason, Kentucky spent big but spent its money in the wrong places, assembling a roster that wasn’t a fit for Mark Pope’s style. This offseason, Pope has flat-out whiffed on most of Kentucky’s top targets.
The Wildcats missed on five-star Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the 2026 high school class, got passed over by St. John’s for Donnie Freeman, and watched as Rob Wright III went back to BYU. Now, Kentucky’s only viable path to adding a bona fide star is to hope the NBA doesn’t have interest in a 6-foot-8 wing who shot 48.7 percent from three last season.
Milan Momcilovic entered his name into the Transfer Portal and maintained his eligibility for one final year, but has spent his offseason focused on the NBA Draft. Kentucky could be a fit if he returns, but ESPN’s Jeff Borzello doesn’t think that’s very likely.
“I think all three, if they’re first-round picks, wherever they are, would like to stay in the draft,” Borzello told Evan Miyakawa about Momcilovic, Allen Graves, and Tounde Yessofou, the three uncommitted players still testing the NBA Draft waters while entered into the portal.
There are three big names left in the portal who are going through the NBA draft process:
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) May 8, 2026
Milan Momcilovic
Allen Graves
Tounde Yessoufou@jeffborzello gives the latest intel on if they will stay in college and where they could possibly end up 👇 https://t.co/VDVa2AZAaB pic.twitter.com/2cXQNacU1u
Jeff Borzello doesn’t see Milan Momcilovic withdrawing from the NBA Draft
Momcilovic, and any player entered into the draft who protected their eligibility, such as Kentucky center Malachi Moreno, have until May 27 to officially withdraw and return to college basketball. The NBA Draft Combine began in Chicago on Sunday, May 10, and runs through Sunday, May 17. Through that process, prospects will receive feedback from scouts and decision-makers in the league to inform their decisions.
This week could open the door for Momcilovic to return and make his way to Kentucky, but Borzello doesn’t think that’s likely.
“The rumor when Momcilovic portaled was that Florida had the inside track,” Borzello said. “I don’t think that’s true. I don’t know if even true then. But they have kind of maxed out their roster at this point. And there’s been very few rumors about him since then, which lends more belief to the idea that he’d rather stay in the draft.”
That’s bad news for Kentucky, which desperately needs a difference-maker like Momcilovic, and sorely missed having a knockdown shooter in the front court last season. On Monday, Kentucky added former Washington center Franck Kepnang to its roster, which also could be a sign that Moreno is also expected to stay in the draft, which would make matters much worse.
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