Jeff Goodman talks draft decisions for Malachi Moreno, Milan Momcilovic ahead of withdrawl deadline

Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic have less than a week to decide if they want to go pro or return to college. Both decisions, especially the former, will have major impacts on next season’s Kentucky team. Jeff Goodman, who co-founded The Field of 68, made a guest radio appearance on Thursday morning’s edition of KSR to talk about them with Matt Jones.

Goodman was first asked about Moreno’s situation. Currently considered a borderline first-round NBA Draft pick, what was once expected to be an easy choice to return to college has turned into a real decision for the rising sophomore big man. Most mock drafts, such as ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, and USA Today, do not have Moreno in the first round. Others, such as Bleacher Report and Yahoo! Sports, have him going late in the first round.

“Most NBA teams have him as a second-rounder, the majority,” Goodman said. “But as you know, all it takes is a couple (teams).”

Moreno clearly holds plenty of leverage with Kentucky in this situation. Mark Pope needs him on next season’s roster more than Moreno needs to come back to UK. Moreno no longer has the option to transfer; a return deal has already been signed, and he’s always said it’s either the NBA or Kentucky, but the threat of him going pro could pressure Pope and Co. into sweetening his return deal a bit more. Moreno did not participate in 5-on-5 drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago last week, saying he felt like he was in a “good spot”.

“100 percent,” Goodman said when asked if Moreno’s camp is looking for a counteroffer from Kentucky. “And I don’t think it’s him. I just think that’s smart business. It’s dumb not to try that. It’s dumb not to put that out there that, hey, he’s moving his way into the first round.

“Which, again, I think there are a couple of teams that might be looking at him in the first round. Nobody is giving him a guarantee. Nobody is giving any of these guys that are going at 25 (in the draft) a guarantee, because they don’t know who else is gonna be out there. So you can’t give a guy a guarantee in the 20s. You just can’t.”

Goodman is far from being alone in this line of thinking. Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports, who was in Chicago for the Combine and talked with Moreno directly, said something very similar earlier this week on The Assist with Kyle Tucker. Moreno’s agency, GSL Sports Group, is doing right by its client in trying to get him more money from UK.

“Malachi probably has more leverage than anybody right now, right?” Goodman added.

As for Momcilovic, his draft range feels more solidified. The Iowa State sharpshooter is regularly popping up in the middle of the second round in recent mocks. He’s been adamant that the focus is on making it to the NBA, but eventually, the money to return to college could overpower that desire if he’s not a first-round lock. Schools such as Kentucky, Louisville, and St. John’s are rumored to be in the mix, but Goodman believes that Momcilovic himself doesn’t have any idea right now what school he might choose.

“I don’t know that, Matt,” Goodman replied when asked which school Momcilovic would be leaning towards if he pulls out of the draft. “I don’t think he knows that right now… At this point, if you ask Milan where he wants to go, he would still say the NBA, that he does not have any idea, he hasn’t even looked at the different college options closely.”

When pressed to list the school he thinks Momcilovic would ultimately choose, Goodman went with St. John’s. But Kentucky will have a chance to go all-in if Momcilovic returns to college, though. Both he and Moreno have until May 27th at 11:59 p.m. to make a final decision.