Koby Brea signs two-way deal to return to Phoenix

Hours after reports emerged that the Suns would waive Brea, the team made it official. With CJ Huntley also being waived, the Suns have two open two-way contract slots. With Mark Williams injured, one of those contracts will go to Duop Reath, who was in training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal.

Re-signed to a two-way contract earlier in July, Brea showed off the perimeter shooting ability that made him a second-round pick in the 2025 draft. He shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc on Monday, rebounding from a poor showing on Sunday, when Brea was 1-of-11 from the field overall and 0-of-7 from three. Brea appeared in just 12 NBA games as a rookie, with most of his reps coming in the G League. He’ll look to earn a longer NBA look when the Suns open training camp in the fall.

Williams played a career-best 61 games last season, though he ended up missing the entirety of the Suns’ first-round series against the Thunder and only played in one of their two play-in games. However, he was still effective when he was on the floor, and Phoenix likely won’t let the 24-year-old walk for cheap. He should be penciled in as their starting center for next season, though Khaman Maluach’s development could alter the Suns’ stance on how much their willing to match on an offer sheet for Williams. Brea was a summer league standout in 2025 and will likely play for the Suns’ squad again, though he is likely still far off from being a rotational player for them.

The summer league star hasn’t played much during his rookie season, but with the Suns locked in as the seventh seed, he played 29 minutes off the bench, which led to the best offensive performance of his career. Brea showed a ton of scoring potential this summer, which is why Phoenix added him with the 41st pick. He likely won’t see the floor during the postseason, but this was an encouraging performance for him.

The 55th overall pick in last month’s draft, Brea’s start in Las Vegas has been encouraging. Having scored 19 points in his summer debut on Friday, the rookie wing had another solid performance against the Hawks. Phoenix has a surplus of wings on its roster, which limits Brea’s short-term fantasy upside. However, the three-point shooting and defense make him an intriguing prospect in deeper dynasty leagues.

Golden State made this pick, but it’s headed to Phoenix as part of a trade reported earlier Thursday. Brea played four years at Dayton before joining Kentucky for his fifth and final collegiate season. The 6'6, 202-pound wing finished the 2024-25 campaign with averages of 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.6 triples. He shot 43.5% from beyond the arc last season and a blistering 49.5 percent from downtown the season prior. Brea has obvious potential as a three-point specialist in the NBA, though it’s unknown if he can impact other areas of the game. Heading to Phoenix, he can provide high-level catch-and-shoot ability for a team that must account for Kevin Durant’s departure via trade. However, he’s joining a team that is loaded with wings, which may complicate things regarding Brea’s ability to crack the rotation as a rookie.