Suns’ Koa Peat checks all the boxes

Koa Peat might turn out to be an excellent NBA player. He’s already a great draft pick.

The Suns entered the 2026 NBA Draft with the 47th overall pick. In the kingdom of basketball, they were stuck in no man’s land, on the other side of the moat, in the muddy realm of longshots and two-way contracts.

They ended up with a homegrown kid who checks all the boxes: Big. Local. Physical. Great pedigree. Proven winner. Excellent teammate. Always on the attack.

It’s a cruel joke in professional sports that some of the greatest genetic freaks also come with very little heart, toughness or tenacity. At an early age, low achievers learn they don’t need those traits to be successful. They are blessed with great DNA. On the flipside, overachievers often excel at intangibles, the stuff they need to compensate for the lack of physical gifts.

Peat delivers both. He’s a player with great size and he’s not afraid to use it. He moves to the rim and does not fade away from it. His motor will not be an issue. And you already know where this column is careening.

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Peat is the first University of Arizona star to be drafted by the Suns since they took Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. I guarantee he will not disappoint Suns fans with his care factor and effort level, although his perimeter game needs a lot of work.

The selection of Peat also proves the Suns are much more than the bulging wallet of an ambitious billionaire. General Manager Brian Gregory continues to make good decisions against long odds. It was too easy for skeptics to question the elevation of Gregory, a college basketball lifer and a very important figure in Ishbia’s collegiate years at Michigan State. Many assumed he was a convenient puppet for a hands-on owner. That was unfair to Gregory and the instant impact he’s making in Phoenix.

Maybe it’s the fresh eyes, the sincerity nd the collegiate spirit. Or maybe it’s his long tenure as a head coach that underscore Gregory’s maneuvers, like whittling down a lengthy coaching search down to the perfect candidate, and now Jordan Ott is a star in the making. And while the Khaman Maluach pick has yet to pay dividends, Gregory was proactive in his pursuit of Rasheer Fleming, who has a very high ceiling, who reminds some of a young Kawhi Leonard. Which means he’s looking at the right things.

On Tuesday, the Suns snuck into the end of Round 1 to snag Peat through a series of trades. It was so stealth and covert that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Peat as draft property of the Dallas Mavericks, said goodnight and walked off the stage.

They say the coldest deeds are done in darkness, and Gregory caught wind that Peat might be slipping; arranged an interview on the Sunday prior to the draft; and gave up very little in return for a player that might need serious development, but a player who already created excitement and momentum in the Valley. Well done.

Former GM James Jones did some excellent things at the helm of the Suns, but he was highly erratic, occasionally ignorant and way outside the box when it came to the NBA Draft. It’s comforting to know the Suns have a keen-eyed observer like Gregory at the top. He’s proof that the Suns are building a real future, something many believed they had squandered with the acquisition of Kevin Durant.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

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