The massive rush of players into the portal is done: No one else can jump in now that the deadline has passed. 4,949 players decided grass would be greener in another pasture, and nearly 1,000 of them are still in the portal.
The harsh reality is that some of them won’t find new homes; it happens every portal window. Guys get convinced they can go make more money or a bigger impact somewhere else, and it never materializes.
And coaches “let players know” they need to transfer, so some don’t even have
a choice. Couple that with programs like Arkansas already shuttering Olympic Sports, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the future of college athletics, except for those already at the upper echelon of the sport.
But that is the world we live in, and of those nearly 1k players in the portal, several are staying in the portal until they get feedback from the NBA Draft Combine next month.
The Combine takes place May 10–17, in Chicago. And Kentucky may be watching to see who withdraws, especially if Miikka Muurinen and Tyran Stokes choose to go elsewhere. These are the guys BBN should keep an eye on:
-Allen Graves (Santa Clara)
-Juke Harris (Wake Forest)
-Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor)
-Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State)
Pope will likely be keeping a close eye on these guys during the combine and working to find out if any of them will ultimately return to college and if Kentucky can get into the mix.
ESPN releases new 2026 NBA Draft Rankings
ESPN released its new NBA Draft rankings, but only Graves lands in the top 30 (No. 25 overall), so many of these guys could be returning for another year of NIL and development.
As for the Kentucky players on the list, Jayden Quaintance comes in at 18, Malachi Moreno at 43, and Otega Oweh at 74.
As for the non-Kentucky guys, I think Milan fills the biggest hole on the roster, a sharpshooter. But I could be convinced of any of them.
As for Oweh, if he gets a fifth year of eligibility, it’s hard to see him passing up the chance to potentially make $3-4+ million in college vs. trying to make the back end of an NBA roster and make a little more than $1 million.
If not Oweh, then which of those four other names do you think fit Kentucky’s roster the best next season?
