Malachi Moreno one of three Wildcats invited to 2026 NBA Draft Combine

Three Kentucky men’s basketball players were among the 73 total players invited to participate in this month’s 2026 NBA Draft Combine.

The NBA announced the invitees on Friday, which included freshman center Malachi Moreno, senior guard Otega Oweh, and sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance. Oweh is out of college eligibility, while Quaintance fully intends to remain in the draft, but Moreno is the one Big Blue Nation will want to keep a close eye on. This year’s Combine is set for May 10-17 at the Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.

Moreno has already signed his return deal with Kentucky. The seven-footer from Georgetown even confirmed in his announcement to test the NBA Draft waters that the only school he would come back to college for would be Mark Pope‘s Wildcats. Barring a massive boost in his stock over the coming weeks into a potential first-round pick, the expectation is that he’ll be in Lexington for a sophomore campaign.

We should know what Moreno plans to do by the end of the month, too. Under NCAA rules, college players must withdraw their name from the draft pool by Wednesday, May 27, to maintain their eligibility. This also applies to the likes of Allen Graves (Santa Clara) and Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State), who were among the 73 Combine invitees but could be potential Kentucky targets if they withdraw from the draft and return to college.

Earlier this week, ESPN projected Moreno to the Brooklyn Nets as the 43rd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The NBA announced today that 73 players have been invited to the AWS NBA Draft Combine 2026, which will take place May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.

Additionally, a select number of standout players from the AWS NBA G League Draft Combine 2026,… pic.twitter.com/9w2ncpacCe

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 1, 2026

As for Quaintance and Oweh, they’ll both hope to hear their names called in this year’s draft, which is set for June 23-24 on ABC/ESPN.

Quaintance’s stock fell off during his lone season at Kentucky as he attempted to return from a torn ACL. He appeared in just four games and truly stood out in only one — albeit against a talented St. John’s team in what was a win for Kentucky. Regardless, he’s still considered a projected first-round pick. ESPN has him going 15th overall to the Chicago Bulls. How healthy his knee looks in the pre-draft process could dramatically swing his stock in either direction.

Oweh is in a trickier spot. ESPN does not currently project him to get drafted. However, the worldwide leader ranks him as the 76th-best overall draft prospect. There are 60 picks in this year’s draft — Oweh needs to make some serious noise in front of NBA scouts and executives during the pre-draft process if he wants to hear his name called.

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