The news around former Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic‘s withdrawal from the NBA Draft has a handful of Power Four coaches circling the five-star transfer. Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd is among them, but do the Wildcats have a shot?
On Thursday, Dylan Brake of Bleed Blue Network shared an unsubstantiated text exchange suggesting it’s a battle between Lloyd and Mark Pope at Kentucky for the 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward, who shot 50.6% from the field and clocked 55% on open-look 3s last season with the Cyclones. The Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native shot the ball better than any Wildcat last season.
Needless to say, Momcilovic, previously forecasted to be an early-to-second-round pick in the draft, is a major offseason addition for either of these coaches. Momcilovic, save for a returning senior in Motiejus Krivas, who resigned with Arizona for next season, would immediately take the Wildcats into contender territory with one of the best frontcourts in the Big 12.
St. John’s is also considered a player for Momcilovic, but Rick Pitino just landed Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou, who appeared in 34 different games, averaging 17.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a freshman. Should the Johnnies pull back, they have a young prospect to build on with three years of eligibility.
The only other wildcard would be Louisville, which finished the season at No. 23 in the final AP Poll and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in four years under head coach Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals already landed a Big 12 center in Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga, as well as Alvaro Folgueiras from Iowa and Karter Knox from Arkansas. It’s hard to say that the room is “finished,” but with a player like Bidunga, who entered the portal reportedly seeking $5 million, the NIL reserves are likely thin.
Moreover, Arizona just signed Lloyd to a five-year contract extension at $7.5 million annually, and made him one of the country’s top 5 highest-paid coaches in college basketball. In addition to staff funding, it’s sensible to expect that Arizona’s NIL chest, which is expected to exceed $10 million, according to the Arizona Daily Star, could accommodate Momcilovic for his remaining season.
The former Cyclones star is going to be paid – there’s no way around it. It’s only a matter of days, hours, or minutes.
