Forward Milan Momcilovic will leave Iowa State and suit up for Kentucky in the 2026/27 season after withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported. The 6-foot-8 junior, who paced Division I with a 48.7% three-point rate, averaged 16.9 points and 3.7 made threes across 37 games and earned All-Big 12 second-team honors.
Although league insiders expected the 21-year-old to be selected had he remained in the draft, sources told Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that Momcilovic’s name, image and likeness agreement with the Wildcats will exceed $6 million, making another collegiate season his most lucrative choice. He becomes draft-eligible again in 2027.
ESPN outlines NBA comparisons
In a survey of scouts and executives, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Jeremy Woo assigned pro comparisons to the top 12 prospects in the 2026 class. Duke forward Cameron Boozer drew a high-end projection of “Kevin Love with more ball skills,” while his low-end comp was “Domantas Sabonis with better outside shooting.” Several evaluators also likened Boozer to Al Horford because of his advanced basketball IQ.
Yahoo Sports highlights first-round sleepers
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports singled out five potential steals: Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance, Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas and Michigan forward Morez Johnson.
Dybantsa remains the likely No. 1 choice
With most mock drafts slotting A.J. Dybantsa to Washington at No. 1, Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network examined the BYU forward’s skill set, detailing both strengths and areas for growth with commentary from Dybantsa himself.
The flurry of evaluations, projections and transfers continues to reshape the 2026 draft landscape as teams and prospects prepare for the final stretch before next June.
Source: Hoops Rumors
