Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic Faces Major Stay-or-Go Decision With NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline Looming
Milan Momcilovic has a week to make the most important decision of his basketball career. The Iowa State sharpshooter has until May 27 to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft or commit fully to going pro. The list of college programs waiting for him to return is loaded, and the financial decision is just as complex as the basketball one.
Momcilovic is currently projected as a second round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. That is the kind of projection that puts him in the most uncomfortable spot a college prospect can land in. Going in the second round means a non-guaranteed contract. Returning to college means another year of development, plus NIL money that could exceed what he would actually earn in his first NBA season.
The list of college programs reportedly chasing him includes Duke, Kentucky, Florida, and Kansas. All four are blue blood programs with the NIL infrastructure to put together massive offers. Momcilovic is the best available player in the college basketball transfer portal at this point in the cycle, and any of those four programs would slot him in as a key starter on a team with Final Four aspirations.
The shooting is what makes him so valuable. Momcilovic is widely considered the best shooter in the entire 2026 NBA Draft class. His three-point stroke is repeatable, his form is textbook, and his range extends well beyond the college arc. NBA teams love that profile because shooting is the most translatable skill from college to pro. The question is whether his other skills are NBA-ready.
The combine in Chicago was his last chance to make a real case for first round status. He received an invitation, which is itself a sign of legitimate draft interest. But the consensus coming out of the combine was that he did not move the needle enough to climb into the first round. He needs another year of college basketball to add weight, improve his defensive footwork, and prove he can create his own offense.
The NIL math is the part that is forcing players like Momcilovic to think harder than ever. The college basketball revenue share landscape now allows for player compensation that can rival or beat first-year NBA contracts. A second round pick might earn 1.5 to 2 million dollars in his first season, with a contract that can be cut at any time. A return to college could net him 2 to 3 million dollars in NIL plus a guaranteed roster spot at a top program.
That is the conversation happening between Momcilovic, his family, and his agent right now. The pure basketball ceiling argues for one more college year. The financial security in the short term also argues for college. The only thing arguing for going pro is the desire to start the NBA clock immediately and bet on himself to outperform his draft projection.
If Momcilovic returns to school, the Iowa State program loses one of its best players ever. He was a critical part of their recent NCAA Tournament runs. The Cyclones would suddenly be in rebuild mode, hoping to fill his spot with a portal addition of their own. Iowa State’s NIL collective is good but not at the same level as the SEC and Big 12 super-programs that are recruiting him.
Duke might be the most interesting fit. The Blue Devils are losing Cameron Boozer to the draft and need to add proven scoring to the rotation. Florida and Kentucky are both reshaping their rosters after coaching changes and could offer Momcilovic featured roles. Kansas is the most stable basketball situation in the country and would slot him next to a talented backcourt.
The decision will likely come down to the wire. Momcilovic has worked out for multiple NBA teams in the last two weeks, and the feedback he is getting from front offices will be the deciding factor. If a team in the late first round tells him they are willing to draft him, he stays in. If the message is second round, he is heading back to college and cashing in on the NIL market.
The May 27 deadline is one week away. The decision Momcilovic makes is going to reshape both the 2026 NBA Draft class and the college basketball landscape for next season. He holds a lot of leverage in this moment. The next few days will tell us exactly how he plans to use it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
