Arizona received some roster clarification on Friday with star freshman power forward Koa Peat declaring for the NBA Draft on Friday via an Instagram post. The deadline to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft is Friday at 8:59 PM Mountain Standard Time.
Arizona star freshman guard Brayden Burries is projected as a lock to be a lottery pick and expected to enter the NBA Draft. Wildcat redshirt junior center Motiejus Krivas is another player to watch until Friday night about potentially entering the 2026 NBA Draft.
Peat wrote an extensive post about growing up in Arizona playing for the Wildcats during the 2025-26 season and thanked his coaches, teammates and the fans. Peat averaged 14.1 points on 52.8 percent from the field, 35.0 percent on three-point attempts and 62.3 percent on free throws with, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 2025-26.
NBA Mock Draft projections for Peat vary from 11th to the San Antonio Spurs by The Athletic to out of the first round by Sports Illustrated. The NCAA’s early entry withdrawal deadline for the 2026 NBA Draft is May 27th at 11:59 PM ET.
Arizona’s Koa Peat announces he’s declaring for the NBA draft. pic.twitter.com/aiYT9KFHef
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 24, 2026
NBA Combine
Peat could participate in the NBA Combine from May 10 through 17 in Chicago and then make a decision to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft or return to Arizona. Consensus reports indicate Peat will likely stay in the 2026 NBA Draft. Peat was the 11th player in the 2025 class.
With Peat making his decision public, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd and his staff can now focus on finding a replacement for Peat at PF. There are still several highly-ranked transfers available. Lloyd could choose to seek an international PF to fill the position vacated with Peat, not likely to return.
Rising sophomore Ivan Kharchenkov could play PF if Lloyd and his staff decide to play a small-ball lineup in 2026-27. Arizona signed shooting guard Caleb Holt and wing Cameron Holmes in the 2026-27 class. Arizona still has work to do to fill out its 2026-27 roster.
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