Suns Make Splash Trade, Select Koa Peat in NBA Draft

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns moved up to the 30th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks and selected Arizona forward Koa Peat.

As first reported by Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro, Phoenix traded the No. 47 pick and two second rounders in 2029 and 2033 for the final selection in the first round according to NBA insider Jake Ficher.

Peat is a true homegrown product hailing from Perry High School where he won four-straight state championships and was one of the highest-rated high school recruits from Arizona.

The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Peat elected to go to Tucson for college and now heads back up to Phoenix to join the Suns and kick off his NBA career.

Peat averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his lone season with the Wildcats while leading them to their first Final Four in 25 years, showcasing his athleticism and winning habits, but did not have consistency with his jump shot.

The Suns trade for Koa Peat, a controversial prospect who was previously regarded as a top-10 talent…

- Downhill scoring threat
- Athletic high-flyer
- Defensive upside
- High usage hub
- 6'7, 250 wing
- Solid passer

Good swing for Phoenix??? pic.twitter.com/XtkvnfbcAf
— Dynatyze Basketball (@Dynatyze) June 24, 2026

Fischer reported earlier today that the Suns had interest in trading into the first round for the Arizona product.

Peat, who was the second Wildcat off the board after Brayden Burries went No. 10 to the Milwaukee Bucks, joins a Suns team that desperately needs to play more size and has a need at the power forward position, but also has Rasheer Fleming and Ryan Dunn who he will compete for minutes with.

Here's a more in-depth scouting report on Peat from The Athletic's Sam Vecenie:

"Peat was one of the freshmen I was most looking forward to watching this year because there seemed to be a wild range of outcomes for him. Ultimately, I’m not sure we learned as much about his translation to the next level as I’d hoped. Because Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley dominated the ball for Arizona, we didn’t learn a ton about how well Peat’s potential mismatch ability would translate.

"Also, Peat didn’t shoot well, which means we also don’t know how his off-ball game will work in the NBA unless he finds the perfect fit with a spacing center who allows him to screen and short roll consistently while occasionally sitting in the dunker spot. But to do that, he also needs to be an elite defender, and he was merely good on that end this season and doesn’t project as an NBA All-Defense guy. The easiest way for players to get on the court in the NBA is through strong defense and shooting. Peat is not yet a standout in either area.

"A name I get often for Peat’s upside is Tobias Harris, and it took Harris a couple of years to work his way into his NBA career after being a top-10 recruit entering college basketball as a strong, physical 6-foot-8 wing who could create midrange shots as a mismatch threat. Harris needed to improve his jumper and become a more useful defender. But by his third stop in Detroit, he was ready to contribute, and he has turned into a valuable, highly paid starter. My overarching theory for role players is that you can be valuable in high-leverage moments if you can do four of these five things well: dribble, pass, shoot, defend and think. Peat can dribble, pass and think at a high level for his position.

"But can he be a difference-maker on defense? And can he learn to shoot? Those are my big questions, and they’re why, despite being an absolute winner whose teams always succeed, Peat is among the most polarizing players in this draft class."

As Vecenie pointed out, Peat's draft stock was a little hard to pinpoint as he reworks his jump shot, and he ended up falling to No. 30, which led to the Suns pouncing on him, just as we expected based on their recent draft history that's shown they're not afraid to move up or down to get a player.

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