Koa Peat had declared for the NBA draft and maintained his college eligibility. 6’8 forward played his freshman year under the leadership of Tommy Lloyd in Arizona. In 36 games, he averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He helped Arizona to a Big Regular Season championship and a Big 12 Tournament championship.
They reached the Final Four but unfortunately lost to eventual champions Michigan. He was a key component for Lloyd last season. He started all 36 games and averaged 27.8 minutes every game. So naturally coach Lloyd was awaiting Peat’s final decision on whether he will remain in the draft or return to Arizona.
Koa Peat has decided that he would forgo the college eligibility and keep his name in the NBA draft. He is projected to end up as a late first round pick. There’s also a possibility that he is drafted early in the second round. Mainly due to the draft projection, many, including NCAA analyst Jeff Goodman, questioned the NBA draft decision. Goodman even questioned Rich Paul for young player’s decision.
“Gonna be interesting to see if Rich Paul made the right call with this one. He’s made a lot of mistakes with guys coming out of the draft over the years,” Goodman posted.
Koa Peat signed with LeBron James’ agent and close friend Rich Paul in early 2025, before he even came to college. Under the guidance of Rich Paul, he committed to Arizona. That decision turned out to be a decent success as he played in the Final Four.
Staying in the NBA draft just might work out for Peat. The teams that might draft Peat are Miami Heat (mid first round pick) and New York Knicks (pick number 24). If he becomes a early second round pick, teams like Memphis Grizzlies might also come in contention.
Fans react as Koa Peat stays in the NBA draft
Fans were doubtful whether Peat’s decision was the right one. Not many thought so. Majority had the opinion that he should’ve returned to Arizona.
“I’m really surprised. One of the more confusing ones I’ve seen keep their name in a while,” one fan expressed.
“He should have went back to school to develop his jumper. He could have helped his draft stock drastically with another year of college,” one fan claimed.
“Bad idea,” another stated.
“Best of luck to him but man, idk about this decision,” another doubted.
“This feels like a bad move. With NIL, feel like the upside was there to come back,” one fan stated.
“Especially with how his jumper looked in workouts, this is a bad decision. He doesn’t have a clear pro position or skillset yet. Should probably stay towards the end of the first round, but I think this decision will make getting that second contract tougher,” another commented.
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