Mark Pope has set his eyes on the next target for Kentucky. After a disappointing season laden with injuries and a worse off season where Kentucky could not get their ideal recruits, Mark Pope might have some luck.
Kentucky got eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament due to multiple injuries. Moreover, with multiple players leaving for the NBA draft as well as the transfer portal, Pope needed to change how Wildcats look next season completely. They lost 11 out of 16 players in their roster.
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To make matters worse 4 of their top targets rejected Mark Pope’s team. Tyran Stokes, Rob Wright III, Donnie Freeman and De’Shayne Montgomery all chose not to commit to Kentucky after days of speculation. There have still been some additions to the squad. One name who is yet to make a decision about Kentucky is Milan Momcilovic.
NCAA insider Isaac Trotter revealed that the number for Milan is closer to $6 million or even higher from Kentucky. He shared how in his conversation with Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State star maintained his ambition to play in the NBA. Even if he decided to return to college basketball, he plans to do it only for one season. Trotter pointed out that there are two years of eligibility remaining for Milan and that’s close to $12 million he can earn through NIL.
“That shows you where his brain is at,” Trotter said about his inclination towards remaining in the draft. “But the type of money that’s at stake here, it’s just hard to leave $6 million on the table. And I think he would probably get in that ballpark.”
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“Because St. John’s they have all of this money from Massamba Diop sweepstakes that they missed out on that. They could funnel his [Milan] direction. Louisville, I think they just make money out of trees. I don’t know how. A regular college basketball budget doesn’t apply to Louisville at this rate,” he added.
“And then we obviously know Kentucky had a huge offer on the table for Tyran Stokes. You could see a big amount of that funnel toward Momcilovic. So he will get paid big time regardless in college basketball next season if he chooses that route,” Trotter concluded.
Kentucky’s current and possible additions
Despite the largest NIL budget of $21-$23 million, Kentucky does not look to have a roster as solid as they would’ve liked. However, there’s still some hope. Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Franck Kepnang, Justin McBride, Jerone Morton, and Ousmane N’Diaye are some of the additions.
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There are reports that suggest Malachi Moreno is inclined to return to Kentucky and withdraw from the NBA draft. This would be a huge addition as Moreno was a key player for Pope and him returning would bring the much needed stability into the team.
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