NBA executives weighed in on a very big man who has a very big decision to make, a decision he must make soon.
Center Malachi Moreno is a 7-foot tall, and he basically has 2 options right now — go back to Kentucky to continue his college basketball journey or remain in the NBA Draft, to be selected wherever but whoever in a month’s time at the draft showcase in Brooklyn.
Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman posted a survey or sorts on Friday morning that had the opinions of anonymous NBA executives about what they thought certain draft prospects should do with their decisions. These are the prospects who declared for the draft after last season ended but still maintained college eligibility. Those prospects have until the end of next Wednesday, so 11:59 p.m. ET to be exact on May 27, to decide if they want to go through with the entire draft process or return to college.
One of those prospects is Moreno, a Kentucky native who averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists last season in what might turn out to be his only season in Lexington — that is, if he decides to stay in the draft and ignore the calls to go back to the college game. Those calls to return to college apparently are plentiful, at least according to the NBA executives survey that Goodman posted on Friday.
Of those 10 executives that Goodman spoke to, 9 of them said that Moreno should go back to college and ignore the lure of the NBA Draft. That means only 1 NBA excutive thought it was worth it for Moreno to stay in the draft, which will be held on June 23 and 24.
There was a lot of chatter about Moreno at last week’s NBA Combine in Chicago, with many college and NBA analysts being split on whether Moreno was actually worth spending a first-round pick on next month. There are mock drafts that favor Moreno’s potential NBA status and mock drafts that don’t.
All of this goes back to what exactly Moreno will decide by late Wednesday night. But if the NBA executives who Goodman talked to are any indication, then Moreno might not have a hard decision to make after all.
Kentucky is trying to become relevant again in Final Four discussions and having Moreno back next season would certainly help the Wildcats’ cause. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the top teams it believes have the best chance to be playing for it all next April:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
