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Suns 2026 NBA Draft updates. Phoenix trades to get Arizona's Koa Peat
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- Suns 2026 NBA Draft updates. Phoenix trades to get Arizona's Koa Peat
The Phoenix Suns are getting Arizona freshman standout Koa Peat as part of a first-round trade June 23 with the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The Suns, who entered the draft with only the 47th overall pick in the second round, traded up to acquire Peat from the New York Knicks.
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The Dallas Mavericks drafted Peat with the final pick in the first round. They then traded it to the Knicks for the 25th overall selection, Sergio De Larrea out of Valencia in Spain.
The Knicks then traded the 6-foot-7 Peat to the Suns for three second-round selections, with one being the 47th overall selection in this year's draft. The other two are second-round picks in 2029 and 2033.
Peat played one season for Arizona, helping to lead them to this year's Final Four. From Chandler, Peat starred at Gilbert's Perry High, where he led the Pumas to four straight state championships.
Top overall pick coached by former Suns assistant
BYU coach Kevin Young has gone from being an NBA assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns to coaching the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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The Washington Wizards used the No. 1 selection on June 23 to take BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa.
He has undeniable talent worthy of having NBA Commissioner Adam Silver calling his name first at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N ew York.
Dybansta came to a Suns game when Phoenix played against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Dec. 13, 2024, as a BYU commit. He sat down and talked with Kevin Durant after Durant went through his pregame workout.
Now Dybansta is the top overall pick in the 2026 draft.
Tennessee State Tigers guard Aaron Nkrumah (30) looks on against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half of a first-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on March 20, 2026.
Latest mock draft has Suns taking Tennessee State guard
ESPN's latest mock draft has the Suns taking Aaron Nkrumah, a senior guard out of Tennessee State, in the second round with the 47th overall selection .
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Measuring out to 6-foot-5 at the NBA Combine with a 6-10-1/4 wingspan and 35-inch max vertical, Nkrumah averaged a team-high 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, three assists, 2.8 steals and shot 35.1% from 3 in leading Tennessee State, an HBCU, to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
He finished second in the NCAA in steals per game. The Suns ranked fourth in the NBA in steals last season.
Nkrumah scored 21 points in his final college game as Tennessee State lost to Iowa State, 108-74, in the first round. He played three collegiate seasons, with his last two at Tennessee State after one season at Worcester (Massachussetts) State, an NCAA Division III school in his hometown.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin .
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns end Day 1 landing Arizona's Koa Peat in a trade
