When Malachi Moreno announced he would be heading to the NBA Draft and the Combine, most thought he would definitely be returning to Kentucky basketball.
But then, reports began circulating that Moreno was getting really good feedback from teams who were picking in the middle and back end of the first round. A good workout with the New York Knicks had a lot of people questioning if Moreno would be coming back to Kentucky after all.
It’s not that Malachi isn’t talented or that he doesn’t have the potential
to be great; he is very talented and holds a lot of potential. It’s just that this year’s draft class is viewed as one of the best ones in a really long time. You have guys like Henri Veesaar being projected as the 25th pick, and he averaged 17 and 8 while shooting 42% from deep.
Malachi finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds. Both are 7 feet tall, so you can see why it would be hard to believe that Malachi would be sneaking into that top 25 range.
Speaking of stock that could impact a stay-or-go decision, there were reports this week that Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno had attracted attention from teams in the mid to late first round. While that certainly may be true, many of those teams also hold second-round picks, and many of the scouts I spoke to expressed skepticism that Moreno would crack the first round this year.Instead, those reports could be viewed as negotiating leverage with Kentucky in order to command the highest possible valuation for Moreno’s return to college and Lexington. The fact that Moreno chose not to play five-on-five, while higher-ranked bigs like Rueben Chinyelu, Tarris Reed, and Flory Bidunga all opted in, was also being viewed as an indication that Moreno’s representation was being very deliberate about controlling how the big man was being perceived. Ultimately, most still expect him to return to school.
The issue is that Malachi’s NIL has long been sorted.
Malachi Moreno’s NIL set in stone
Back in early April, when Moreno first decided that he would be testing the Draft waters, his agent and an NIL lawyer worked hard with Kentucky and JMI to secure his NIL if he decided to come back. So, there is no reason for his agent to now be making a ploy for more money. He isn’t in the portal, and he can’t enter now since the window is closed.
If the agents are getting these reports out there, it could be to try to manipulate the market for other teams to think he may go sooner, but that really doesn’t make much sense either.
I think the feedback he is getting is real and valuable, but I do think he is also right on the edge of that 1st round bubble. And if he slips into the 2nd, then he makes more money at Kentucky and gets a chance at a weaker class next year.
I do think he ultimately comes back, but I don’t think it is as clear-cut as any of us thought a month ago. Kentucky needs him to return, and they need him to take a step forward. If he doesn’t, it puts a lot of pressure on Franck Kepnang to stay healthy and produce.
