Koa Peat 'excited' to be a Phoenix Sun after 1st-round trade

The Phoenix Suns landed Arizona freshman Koa Peat by trading into the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

"Yo, what's up U of A fans," said Peat on an Instagram post wearing a Suns hat in what appears to be his home after Day 1 of the draft. "Excited to be a Sun man. Excited to stay home, man. Bear down. Let's go man."

The second round is Wednesday, June 24, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

"There are so many things that he's able to do," former Arizona star and ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson said about the 19-year-old Peat during ABC's broadcast of the draft. "Again, you look at the numbers that he put up. He is a winner. The athleticism is there. The size."

Peat averaged 14.1 points on 52.8% shooting (35% from 3), 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in helping Arizona reach the 2026 Final Four in his one-and-done season. The 6-7, 245-pound forward with a 6-11 1/4 wingspan from Chandler led Gilbert Perry to four consecutive state championships.

"He didn't have a great draft workout, but I think those are things that can develop over time," Jefferson said. "His shooting. The things that need to be corrected."

Peat also won four gold medals for Team USA in 2025 FIBA U19 Men's World Cup, 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup, 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.

"The young man has always played and answered the call," Jefferson said. "...The thing I love about Koa is the competitiveness, the edge that he's always (playing with)."

The Suns had the option to trade two first-round picks (2027 and 2023) on draft night, but didn't have to, and wound up with a first-round selection in Peat.

"He's sitting there going, are you kidding me?" two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith said during the ABC draft broadcast. "'You don't remember me when we was in the 17U? You don't remember me when we were at Arizona? You don't remember when I was killing all of you guys?'"

Smith added that Peat wasn't "that far behind" BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, the top overall pick in the 2026 draft, on that 17-under team.

"I think skill development is going to be very important for him to continue to progress in that manner," said ESPN analyst, former NBA player Jay Williams.

Peat winding up with the Suns concluded a sequence of trades.

The New York Knicks moved Sergio De Larrea, the 25th overall pick in the draft out of Valencia, Spain, to the Dallas Mavericks for Peat, The Republic confirmed.

Then the Knicks traded Peat to the Suns for three second-round selections, with one being the 47th pick in the 2026 draft and cash.

The other two second-round picks are 2029 and 2033, league sources confirmed to The Republic.

(This story has been updated to add information.)

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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