Koa Peat staying in NBA Draft, not returning to Arizona for sophomore season
Koa Peat is leaving his name in the NBA Draft ahead of Wednesday’s early-entry deadline for players to withdraw and return to college.
Watch: Arizona Diamondbacks trade deadline preview with Bob Nightengale | 36 mins
Koa Peat is remaining in the NBA Draft, according to WildcatAuthority’s Jason Scheer.
The star forward will not be returning to Arizona for his sophomore season and instead leaves his name in next month’s draft. Wednesday marks the early-entry deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and return to college.
Peat has been projected as a late first-rounder in most post-combine mock drafts after reportedly hiring Chris Johnson as a shooting coach and changing his jump shot mechanics prior to the May 11 NBA Draft combine.
After changing his form, Peat struggled in the shooting drills at the combine and later during Klutch’s pro day.
The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder with a 6-foot-11.25 wingspan shot 6 of 25 (24%) in the spot-up shooting drill at the combine, 7 of 25 (28%) in the 3-point star drill, 10 of 25 (40%) in the side-mid-side drill, 15 of 30 (50%) in the off-the-dribble drill and 7 of 10 (70%) at the foul line.
Peat was required to shoot at the combine as mandated by the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement but later took part in Klutch’s May 19 pro day as well, where footage was released of his new shooting form (no footage was released of Peat’s performance at the combine).
The Klutch pro day reportedly did not go any better for Peat. The Arizona forward “bombed” Klutch’s pro day, according to AZ12’s Mike Luke, while Sam Vecenie, who covers the draft, college basketball and the NBA for The Athletic, also said Peat “didn’t shoot it well,” and the main concern wasn’t Peat’s results but his mechanics.
Koa Peat could have earned more money by going back to school
If Peat falls to the Nos. 20-30 range in next month’s draft, he would earn about $3 million per season based on the NBA rookie scale. Peat’s NIL valuation is estimated to be around $3-$5 million if he returned to the college ranks.
Last week, Arizona men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd said Peat was working through a plan, and he respected Peat’s decision timeline when asked about the star forward’s pre-draft process.
“I know he has dreams to play in the NBA, and I’m supporting every ounce of his pursuit to do that,” Lloyd said.
As a freshman, Peat helped take the Wildcats to their first Final Four in 25 years after arriving at Arizona as the No. 11 recruit in the nation.
He averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in his lone season with the Wildcats, but his draft stock continued to fall during the season, mainly due to not being a threat from deep and not showing the same ability as a rebounder that teammates Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas put on display.
Peat took only a total of 20 3-pointers during the collegiate season and made seven of them (35%).
Entering the season, Peat was initially projected as a lottery pick, which was fueled by his stellar start to the season.
In a win over the defending national champion Florida during the season opener, Peat notched season highs in points (30), assists (five) and steals (three). But longstanding worries over Peat’s shooting flaws drew concern during the collegiate season and were only exacerbated after his combine and pro day performance.
On the flip side, Peat has demonstrated an ability to win at every level. The Chandler native previously led Gilbert Perry High School to four state championships in four seasons.
During his freshman campaign at Arizona, Peat was named to the Big 12 All-Freshmen team and earned Third-Team All-Big 12 honors as well.
Peat also took home Most Outstanding Player in the West Region and All-Region honors in the NCAA Tournament. In five NCAA Tournament games, he averaged 17.2 points on 48.5% shooting with 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Related
Footage released of Koa Peat's new controversial jump shot form as decision deadline is days away
Tommy Lloyd says Koa Peat is 'working through a plan' as NBA pre-draft process escalates
Arizona's Koa Peat just inside 1st round of Jeremy Woo mock draft
Koa Peat falls to 30th in NBA mock draft after poor combine showing
Koa Peat's shooting at the NBA Draft Combine confirms his flaws. What can he be?
Arizona products Brayden Burries, Koa Peat measure in at the NBA Draft Combine
Arizona's Koa Peat declaring for 2026 NBA Draft
Comments
3 Comments
For the years I have been in this Valley of the Sun, this family name has popped up a few times for HS recruits and none of those during my time here have lived up to the HS hype, nor done much in the pros. They seem to be like the Ball family, except with even less talent and their dad does not want to be in the spotlight.
Gee that's "odd" . . . DC (see below) is the first one here to comment on Peat's decision, and dropping his usual UofPay . . . That never happens on this site. Koa did what he and his family thought is best for him, and I wish him the best of luck. Would have loved to have seen another year of him on the Cats, but it is what it is.
Not a smart move by Peat. His agent must be telling him and the family that there are teams who are going to take him much earlier than the bottom of the 1st Round, possibly even sometime in the 2nd. Going back to the UofPay was always the right choice.