Suns selected Koa Peat with the No. 30 pick in the NBA Draft.
Along with teammate Brayden Burries, Peat helped lead Arizona to its first Final Four since 2001. In 36 games, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.7 blocks, shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 62.3 percent from the foul line. Peat did most of his damage offensively in the paint, and he struggled with his shot at the NBA Draft Combine. That’s the area where he will need to improve, but the rebounding ability and motor will allow Peat to compete for minutes immediately. He’ll head about two hours north of where he played his college basketball, with the Arizona native’s draft rights being acquired by the Suns. How much help the Suns need in the frontcourt will depend partially on what happens with Mark Williams, who will be a restricted free agent. Peat is not a center, but his athleticism and rebounding ability will be key, especially if the Suns move on from Williams. This pick was part of a three-team deal, with Phoenix acquiring it from Dallas after Dallas acquired the draft rights of No. 25 pick Sergio De Larrea from the Knicks. New York, which moves out of the first round with the transaction, received three future second-round picks.
