Milan Momcilovic Is the Best Shooter in the Portal and Every Top Program Is Calling
Milan Momcilovic is the most coveted player in college basketball’s transfer portal, and the bidding war is about to get real.
The former Iowa State forward was the best shooter in college basketball last season and the No. 1 player to enter the portal all spring. Whichever team lands him will immediately move up the preseason pecking order, and the list of programs in the mix includes every major brand in the country.
Momcilovic ranked first in three-point percentage at 48.7 percent. He was fifth in three-pointers made. He averaged 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while playing in a balanced Iowa State offense that did not need him to be the focal point. As a featured option somewhere else, his ceiling is significantly higher.
The teams chasing him include Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UConn. Every one of those programs has a need at the wing and the NIL collective money to make a real offer. Momcilovic is going to make multiple millions of dollars on his next contract, which is a sentence that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
The fit question is the interesting one. Momcilovic is a true stretch forward at 6-foot-8. He is not a primary creator. He does not put the ball on the floor like an All-American wing. What he does is space the floor, knock down open shots, and finish around the rim when defenses overcommit to perimeter shooters.
That kind of player thrives next to a primary ball handler who can create open looks. Duke has that in their incoming guard class. Kansas has Hunter Dickinson in the middle to draw attention. Kentucky has been recruiting elite playmakers under Mark Pope. UConn has been a championship-level program built on shooting around versatile guards.
Momcilovic’s defensive game is the one area where he has to improve. He is not a great athlete at the next level. He gives up minutes when matched up against quicker wings. His team is going to have to scheme around that weakness, which means he probably ends up playing more minutes at the four than at the three.
The NIL money is the elephant in the room. Programs are openly bidding for the top transfers now, and Momcilovic is going to command a contract in the $1.5 million to $2 million range for one year of college basketball. That is more than most NBA second-round picks make on their rookie deal, which is part of why so many quality players are staying in school longer.
The NCAA’s 5-in-5 eligibility model is the other piece of context. That rule, which is expected to take effect this season, could unleash another wave of senior players who get a final season of eligibility. Momcilovic’s market is hot in part because there is uncertainty about how many quality wings will actually be available next season.
The Iowa State piece of this is unfortunate. Momcilovic helped the Cyclones win consistently under coach T.J. Otzelberger. The program has had a lot of stability. Losing the top shooter in the country is the kind of blow that takes a couple of years to recover from, especially for a program that does not have unlimited recruiting resources.
The 2026-27 college basketball season is shaping up to be one of the most loaded in recent memory. The portal has redistributed talent across the country. Several programs that did not look like contenders six months ago now have rosters that could realistically compete for a Final Four. Momcilovic is going to be on one of those rosters.
The decision is expected to come in the next two weeks. The smart money is on Duke, which has already lined up the supporting cast and has the best collective infrastructure in the country. But Kansas and UConn are not going to let Duke walk away with him without a fight.
This is what college basketball looks like now. Players move. Money matters. The best teams are built in the portal as much as in the high school recruiting class.
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.
