Milan Momcilovic's priority is still the NBA Draft, but he thinks Kentucky would be a 'good fit'

Milan Momcilovic made it clear at the NBA Draft Combine that he wants to see the draft evaluation process through in hopes of getting a guaranteed deal; however, he’s not completely closing the door on a return to college. And, if he comes back, he could see himself fitting into Mark Pope’s system at Kentucky.

Ben Roberts of the Herald Leader made the trip to Chicago to speak to Momcilovic and Kentucky’s participants in the combine. We’ve heard several of Momcilovic’s comments already, in which he said he’s wholly focused on the draft and will remain so until the May 27 deadline, and that if he doesn’t hear that he’ll be a first-round pick or a second-round pick with a guaranteed contract, he wants to play for a contender in college. Kentucky, St. John’s, and Louisville are reportedly in the mix, all eager to spend big money for the top shooter in the transfer portal. Momcilovic said the fit, not the money, is what is most important to him should he return to school.

“I’m not gonna go money hunt for like the top school that offers me the most money,” Momcilovic said. “So, I mean, obviously it’s really cool to hear some of those numbers, and it’s tempting. But for me, I don’t need all that. I just need a good spot where I can go.”

Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic says he could get more money returning to college, but it’s not about that, and he is focused on the NBA Draft right now. He has to make a decision by May 27. #NBA #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/0WUXrpPFze

— Karley Marotta (@Karley_Marotta) May 14, 2026

If that’s true, your University of Kentucky Wildcats are in good shape. The Cats have an opening for a star on the wing, which could give Kam Williams the role of sixth man and allow Braydon Hawthorne to ease his way in as a redshirt freshman. Louisville has made it clear this offseason that they have a lot of money, but they used a good chunk of it to bring in Karter Knox and Alvaro Folgueiras, neither of whom probably transferred in to come off the bench.

Roberts said the buzz at the combine is that Louisville is considered the most likely landing spot for Momcilovic, with St. John’s currently running third. That said, Momcilovic is a fan of Mark Pope, whom he has faced three times in his career now, twice when Pope was still at BYU and once in Iowa State’s win over Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past season. Momcilovic had 20 points in that game, including four three-pointers. He finished the season with 136, the most of any player in the country.

“I think Kentucky would be a good fit,” Momcilovic told the Herald-Leader. “I obviously went against Pope at BYU his first year (in the Big 12), and I loved how his team played. I think we went 1-1 against them, but they killed us at their place, because they fly the ball up the court and shoot 3s. I really like the way they play.

“And obviously 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.”

You cannot overstate the impact Momcilovic could have on next season’s roster. As he said, Kentucky lacked the shooters to make Pope’s system work last season, and so far, the same can be said with the roster he has built for year three. That would change in an instant if Momcilovic comes to Lexington, a case Pope hopefully made in person at the combine this week.

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