Are the Kentucky Wildcats in danger of losing Malachi Moreno to the NBA Draft?
When Moreno first announced he was testing the NBA waters, many assumed that he’d ultimately withdraw and return to school. While that’s still the likeliest outcome, his NBA stock appears to be higher than anticipated.
The latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has Moreno going 43rd overall to the Brooklyn Nets, right in the middle of Round 2. While it’s still pretty far from a first-round selection and guaranteed
money, it does give Moreno something to think about if he feels confident that he’d be one of the 60 selections in this year’s draft.
Elsewhere, Jayden Quaintance went 15th overall to the Chicago Bulls, while no other Wildcats from this past season were selected, though Ugonna Onyenso, who finished his career at Virginia, went 50th overall to the Toronto Raptors.
I’d still wager on Moreno returning for his sophomore season, especially with the 2027 draft class looking significantly weaker than this one. A sophomore leap could very well put him in the first-round range of next year’s draft.
In other words, it’s far too early to panic about potentially losing Moreno to the NBA, but it will be interesting to watch the pre-draft process unfold for him, especially if he gets invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago on May 10-17.
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