Reactions vary on Suns’ draft-night move for Koa Peat

The Phoenix Suns pushed into the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday to take the local talent, forward Koa Peat out of Perry High School and the University of Arizona.

Peat was a top-10 recruit in the country who went to Arizona and made Third Team All-Big 12 in his freshman year.

He brings size at 6-foot-7, 245 pounds and a 6-foot-11.25 wingspan. He also averaged 17.2 points with 7.6 rebounds during Arizona’s NCAA Tournament run.

There are questions about the 19-year-old’s ability to shoot, which caused him to slide to the final pick of the first round. The Suns traded the No. 47 pick in this year’s draft and two future second-rounders to move up.

(Instagram Screenshot/Koa Peat)

Reactions from national media after the pick were mixed from very optimistic to skeptical. Here are some of those evaluations and grades:

ESPN’s Tim Legler

ESPN analyst Tim Legler was asked about the depth of the draft on SportsCenter, and he used the opportunity to rave about Peat.

“Koa Peat is a guy I’m watching film on and I’m just loving, and he goes with the 30th pick. You’re talking about a guy who is NBA ready, physically,” Legler told Scott Van Pelt.

Tim Legler has love for Koa Peat pic.twitter.com/IHvuRGVI6M

— Paola Boivin (@PaolaBoivin) June 24, 2026

The Athletic: C-

On the flip side, The Athletic’s John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie were not nearly as high on the move for Phoenix.

His shooting questions came up in their analysis, along with his upside as both a scorer and defender.

Via Vecenie:

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 wing who could create midrange shots as a mismatch threat. … 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.

Hollinger kept it simple:

He’s undersized for a big, his shooting is a major liability and I don’t think he even does the “big guy” stuff all that well. If he makes it, it’s with ballhandling, feel and defense, but I’m dubious he’ll ever be threatening enough offensively.

CBS Sports: A-

Back to a positive spin, CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein was more bullish on Peat as a potential NBA mainstay due to his physicality and competitiveness.

Peat has done a lot of winning throughout his playing days.

He won the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup among several USA Basketball competitions, won the state championship for four straight years in high school and then made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Peat’s stock has slid a bit because of questions surrounding his shooting and mixed reviews from some workouts, but his impact on winning is well-documented. He puts pressure on the rim as a straight-line driver and off short-rolls. Excellent finisher who converted 67% at the rim and is now quick off his feet athletically.

Yahoo! Sports: C+

Back to a lukewarm reaction, this time from Kevin O’Connor. Peat’s shooting came up again after he only made seven 3-pointers in his freshman year at Arizona and did not help his stock at the combine. That said, the Suns could help by surrounding him with players who complement his skillset.

Since Peat can’t shoot yet, it’ll be important that he’s paired with a floor-spacing center. Or he could serve as a small-ball center in switchable lineups. So even though Peat entered the year with top-10 hopes, it might be a blessing in disguise for him to fall to the end of the first round.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo

Woo projected Peat would land 27th overall in his final mock draft for ESPN, saying that the teenager had a winning resume and intangibles but needed to go to a team that had a vision for his role.

Peat’s stock took a tumble as teams grew concerned about the shooting mechanics he displayed at the combine. He found a first-round backstop in Phoenix, his hometown team, and one that will have to help him develop his shot. His physicality, defensive versatility and intangibles give Peat a path to eventually finding a role.

USA Today: A

Let’s end on a positive note.

Bryan Kalbrosky was optimistic about not only Peat as a prospect but the fit in Phoenix. The Suns could use a player who can guard multiple positions and provide some physicality, even if his game is not ironed out yet.

They saw a player who came into his freshman year with lottery pick upside and traded three second-rounders for him.

Koa Peat slipped from a projected lottery pick all the way to the last pick of the first round, but he eventually ended up in a great situation in the same market where he went to college. The Suns got a winning-caliber player in Peat who is a valuable young asset, and while he will desperately need to improve his jumper to carve out a consistent role at the next level, this is a worthy pick this late in the first round.

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