Major Development Arises Surrounding Peat’s Future With Arizona
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The early-entry deadline for the NBA Draft was this past Friday. This helped clear up the draft picture, as the lottery is less than two weeks away.
The early entry list consists of 71 players, which is down from 106 last year. This is the fewest number of declarations in the past two decades. That tells you all you need to know about today’s collegiate landscape and NIL. Multiple top prospects returned to college basketball this year because of NIL.
Arizona’s Koa Peat announces he’s declaring for the NBA draft. pic.twitter.com/aiYT9KFHef
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 24, 2026
Peat Declares for NBA Draft
One of the 71 players who declared was Arizona’s star, Koa Peat. “Mr. Arizona” made an Instagram post last week announcing his NBA Draft decision. Wildcats point guard Jaden Bradley also declared for the draft a few weeks ago, along with Brayden Burries last Friday.
Tucson is in good hands.
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) April 28, 2026
Ivan Kharchenkov is back. pic.twitter.com/sstN7keRP2
Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov each announced their respective returns to Arizona. This is a massive boost for the Wildcats next season. While losing Bradley, Burries, and Peat will hurt the Wildcats, there may be some good news.
Peat is projected to be selected between picks 17 and 24 in most mock drafts. He was the second-highest scorer on the team last season, just behind Brayden Burries. Peat averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
Go ahead and add him to your preseason POY watch list now.
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) April 27, 2026
Mount Krivas is back! pic.twitter.com/lKvkoFPExc
It hurt the Wildcat faithful when Peat announced that he was leaving the school for the NBA. It only hurt because of how impactful he was not only to the team but also to the Tucson community. He earned the moniker “Mr. Arizona” for being one of the best high school players in Arizona history.
Could Peat Return?
A recent mock draft revealed some very intriguing potential news that would make Wildcat fans feel ecstatic. ESPN analyst Jeremy Woo released his NBA mock draft yesterday morning. He has Peat mocked to the New York Knicks at pick No. 24. This is what Woo had to say about Peat's draft status.
“Peat opted to declare for the draft and has an opportunity to play his way up the boards with a strong predraft process. Some teams viewed him as an excellent candidate to return to school and improve his stock, an option that remains available to him."
"Scouts view his perimeter shooting as a critical swing skill that will impact his career path, as he is not particularly effective scoring outside 15 feet at this stage of his career. But his strength and quickness relative to his size, coupled with a solid offensive feel and ability to guard the perimeter, give him a chance to find a niche in the right situation,” said Woo.
We all know what Peat can do on the floor, dominate the paint on both ends, and is terrific on a fast break and in open space. The part that Wildcat fans should be excited about is when Woo mentions that scouts view Peat as an excellent candidate to return to school to improve his draft stock.
Peat will more than likely go in the first round, but he will be just outside the lottery. If Peat returns to Arizona and has another great season while developing a solid outside shot, then he could be staring the lottery in its eyes next year. The Wildcats have a hole currently at the power forward spot. Could Peat return for another potential national championship run in Tucson?
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Caleb Meadows is a contributor to the UNC Tar Heels. He previously covered Louisville sports and WWE for FanSided. Meadows also covered local sports in Oklahoma while attending Oklahoma State, where he earned a degree in sports communications. Follow him on X, at @CalebMeadows25."