Milan Momcilovic entered both the 2026 NBA Draft process and the NCAA transfer portal simultaneously, a new strategy that’s become increasingly common for high-end prospects trying to maximize leverage.
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At the NBA Combine in Chicago, Momcilovic has been working through workouts and feedback sessions while keeping the college door open in case his draft projection doesn’t land where he wants it.
Across the past week, he’s been linked most heavily to Kentucky, Louisville, and St. John’s, with a decision expected around the May 27 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, the final pivot point for players deciding whether to stay in the draft or return to college.
Recently, however, Momcilovic suggested that momentum may already be forming behind the scenes with one program.
Momcilovic recently praised Kentucky and Mark Pope’s system, calling it a “good fit” while adding that he believes he and Pope could elevate each other if he ultimately chooses Lexington.
“Kentucky last year, he didn’t have enough shooters around him to really coach, I feel like, the way he wanted. But I think, if I were to choose Kentucky, that would be a good fit for me. I feel like I’d be a great player for him, and he’d be a good coach for me,” Momcilovic said.
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Mark Pope’s system has been under scrutiny since Kentucky’s early NCAA Tournament exit, a 22-14 season that ended well short of Final Four expectations, falling 82-63 to Iowa State, Momcilovic’s former school, in the Round of 32.
Momcilovic, meanwhile, developed into one of the Big 12’s premier shooting forwards during his three-year run at Iowa State.
Through his college career, the 6-foot-8 wing has steadily grown from a promising four-star recruit into a high-volume offensive weapon, peaking in 2025–26, averaging 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and shooting 48.7% from 3-point range.
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He earned All-Big 12 honors and became known as one of the most efficient perimeter shooters in college basketball.
In other words, Momcilovic can offer exactly what Kentucky has lacked, a true stretch forward who bends defenses the moment he steps beyond the arc.
Mark Pope’s system thrives on spacing and motion, but inconsistent shooting has limited its ceiling.
The Wildcats shot just 34.2% from deep as a team last season, ranking in the bottom half in the SEC with lineups that lacked true high-end shooters.
Adding a player who can hit nearly half his threes while defending multiple positions would immediately shift things for Kentucky.
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Kentucky has already been aggressive in the portal, adding top guards Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman, along with 6-foot-11 center Franck Kepnang (Washington) and depth pieces like Justin McBride (James Madison) and Jerone Morton (Washington State).
But Momcilovic would immediately become Pope’s biggest addition of the offseason, and one that could change the entire trajectory of the Wildcats next year.
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