PHOENIX — Koa Peat stood at the podium inside the Suns’ practice facility on June 26, beaming in a new Phoenix Suns No. 18 jersey and acknowledging the path that has brought him back to the Valley. The Suns used the final selection of the first round, the 30th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, to add the Gilbert Perry High School graduate and former University of Arizona forward to their roster, a move that reunited the local product with the professional organization he admired as a child.
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Koa Peat holds up his new Phoenix Suns No. 18 jersey alongside a team official at a press conference after being selected in the first round.
Peat recounted memories of following the Suns as a youngster. He was just 10 years old when the franchise selected Devin Booker, and he later attended the first game of the 2021 NBA Finals between Phoenix and Milwaukee. “I remember those days seeing the team compete and seeing the team win,” Peat said at his introductory news conference. “Seeing the crowd be involved with the team was super special and this is a super special place to be.” Those formative experiences, he said, are part of the reason wearing a Suns jersey felt like a full-circle moment.
The selection came on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the Suns closed out the first round by taking Peat with the No. 30 pick. General manager Brian Gregory underscored the organization’s enthusiasm about bringing Peat into the franchise, pointing to the forward’s familiarity with winning and competitiveness. “We’re so excited about this opportunity to bring this young man into our franchise,” Gregory said. “Winning is really important. You have to continue to bring in guys that know what winning’s all about.”
For Peat and his family, the moment held additional resonance. His father, Todd Peat, played in the NFL as an offensive lineman and spent time with the Phoenix Cardinals in the 1980s. Gregory noted the family’s athletic legacy and long-standing ties to the Valley, saying the Peat family is “ingrained in the Valley” and that the community already shares “an unbelievable bond” with Koa.
Before arriving at Arizona, Peat accumulated a decorated high school résumé at Perry. Over four seasons he helped lead the program to state championships each year, a record of sustained success at the high school level that preceded his national experience with Team USA. Peat also won four gold medals competing for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. Sam Duane Jr., Peat’s coach at Perry, stressed the personal sacrifices that accompanied those achievements. “When he has a goal or a dream like being in the NBA, nothing is going to stop him,” Duane Jr. said. “He sacrificed a lot growing up. You have to give credit for the work that he’s put in to make himself the player he is.”
Peat continued his ascent at the University of Arizona under coach Tommy Lloyd. He played a role in a Wildcats season that produced 36 wins and culminated in Arizona’s first Final Four appearance since 2001. Lloyd praised Peat’s impact on winning and suggested that Peat’s influence exceeded the spot where he was selected in the draft. “Koa’s value is a lot higher than the number he got picked at,” Lloyd said. “If you’re basing this draft on impact on winning, Koa to me is a guy that’s a top-10 type pick.”
Peat wearing Arizona’s No. 10 celebrates on the court during a Wildcats game — the local product whose college play led to the Suns drafting him.
On the court, Peat’s presence was most often felt inside the paint. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, he contributed to one of the most physical frontcourts in college basketball during his time in Tucson. Duane Jr. emphasized Peat’s natural strength and forceful style of play, recalling the sheer power of his finishes. “He’s gifted with his body,” Duane Jr. said. “He probably plays with more force than any player I’ve ever had. Some of his dunks in practice, the ball would go through, hit the floor and bounce almost back up to the rim.” Those attributes, combined with his track record of winning, formed much of the appeal for the Suns as they evaluated him for the professional level.
Phoenix did not enter the 2026 draft with its own first-round selection but acquired the 30th pick as part of a four-team trade that involved the Lakers, Knicks and Mavericks. The organization moved to secure Peat, with Lloyd indicating that the Suns pursued trades to land him well before the draft slot came into play. “They started to work trades for Koa a lot earlier than the 30th pick,” Lloyd said. “They really wanted him. Koa ended up in a situation where they want to rebuild with tough, hardworking, blue-collar kinda guys, and he fits that billing.”
Gregory framed Peat as the kind of player who aligns with the culture the Suns are trying to build, citing his work ethic, character, ability and desire to continue improving. The franchise’s decision to draft Peat combined those evaluations with the player’s local ties and proven track record at both the high school and collegiate levels. Peat’s introduction to the media at the Suns’ facility the day after the draft offered a public beginning to what the organization hopes will be a productive association between a hometown talent and a rebuilding roster.
The sequence of events — from childhood memories of Suns playoff games to state championships at Perry, international success with Team USA, a breakthrough season at Arizona and now selection by Phoenix — underlined the full-circle nature of Peat’s arrival. With his draft-night formalities complete and a new Suns jersey in hand, Peat’s next steps will shift from reflection to preparation as he transitions from college standout to professional rookie within the franchise he long admired. The Suns and their fans now await how that transition will play out on the court in the seasons ahead.
In the 2026 NBA Summer League, Peat averaged 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.0 steals per game on 59.5% true shooting across four contests, flashing athleticism and rim-running while battling foul trouble and turnovers. Burn City Sports reported that his play has started to earn the Suns' trust as a potential role player later in the 2026-27 season behind veterans, despite early growing pains.
Dallas initially selected Peat at No. 30 and the Suns acquired his draft rights from the Dallas Mavericks in a post-draft deal that sent Phoenix a more-favorable 2026 second-round pick, Phoenix’s 2029 second-round pick, Phoenix’s 2033 second-round pick and cash to Dallas.
Peat was signed to a multi-year rookie-scale contract with the Suns on July 1, 2026 — a signing listed on NBA transactions and RealGM — and SalarySwish reports the deal as a 2–4 year, $15,031,531 rookie-scale contract.
Across four Las Vegas Summer League games he averaged 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals on 51.0% shooting; his game-by-game lines included 17 points vs. the Trail Blazers, 12 vs. the Pelicans, 19 vs. the Bucks and 19 vs. the Pistons.