Mark Pope's Kentucky have struggled to line up a quality roster this off season. Their NIL budget is unchanged from last season. In fact many reports suggest that there might even be a slight increase. The NIL is reportedly $21-$23 million after last season's $22 million. They have faced many rejections throughout the off season.
After a injury ridden season, 11 of 16 Kentucky stars either entered the transfer portal or declared for the NBA draft. They added Franck Kepnang, Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Jerone Morton and Justin McBride to the mix from the transfer portal. Mason Williams and Zyon Hawthorne sum up their high school signees. And Ousmane N'Diaye is their lone international addition.
There was one major good news when their star man Malachi Moreno withdrew from the NBA draft and decided to return for his sophomore year. Many analysts believe that Moreno is going to be key if Mark Pope and Kentucky were to make a deep run in NCAA tournament next season. So welcoming him would be a huge boost for Mark Pope. Other than that another player, the Wildcats would love to have Milan Momcilovic.
Milan Momcilovic has declared for the NBA draft but also has college eligibility. He played his freshman, sophomore and junior years at Iowa State. And from the look of things he doesn't intend on going back. Milan has spoken highly about Kentucky and Mark Pope. Speculations suggest that he is close to committing with the Wildcats. However, it might not be that easy. He is reportedly worth $5 million in NIL and there are other teams in the mix.
Apart from Kentucky, Duke and St. John's, analyst Jeff Goodman recently reported that another team who has emerged as a potential suitor is Arizona.
"The fourth team the fourth team right now uh that is trying to gain some ground per my sources is Arizona and a big part of that is because they believe they're going to lose Koa Peat. [If] Koa Peat leaves, obviously, that clears a lot of cap room for Arizona and I think it also gives them a guy that fits," Goodman reported
.
"I mean, talk about a completely a contrast in players. You go from Koa Peat, who can't shoot, athletic as hell. To then you're bringing in Milan Momcilovic, arguably the best shooter in the country, not a great athlete, not a great defender. Completely different," he compared.
"But I think if they can make up ground and get him, I mean, think about that lineup that Tommy Lloyd could trot out there. Yeah, I think that Arizona probably makes the most sense as the best fit for Milan next season for a couple of different reasons," Goodman added.
Momcilovic had his best college season last year. He was always a promising prospect but last season he really showed how good of a shooter he is.
He averaged 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1 assist per game in 37 games played. He scored with 50% field goal percentage, 48.7% three-pointer percentage and 87.8 free throw percentage. All his numbers were up from his career college average.
He also impressed in the NBA draft combine. His measurements stood as follows:
Height (w/out shoes): 6′ 8.00″
Weight: 218.2 lbs
Wingspan: 6′ 9.25″
Standing Reach: 8′ 6.50″
Verticals: 27.5″ (no step) / 32.0″ (max)
He attracted interest from multiple NBA GMs. But it is no surprise that college teams like Kentucky, Duke, St. John's and now Arizona are ready to sign him for a hefty price tag of $5 million.
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