Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Phoenix Suns will compete in the 2026 Vegas NBA Summer League from July 9 to July 19, looking to find a young star to break their cycle of mediocrity.
- The Suns' Summer League roster includes several promising names, but the focus will be on how rookie Koa Peat performs in his first NBA action.
- All games will be broadcast on ESPN networks, NBA TV, or Prime Video, with live streaming options available through ESPN+ and NBA League Pass.
We won't get to see competitive NBA hoops until October, and with many of the big dominoes already down for free agency, the only thing we really have to look forward to right now is the 2026 Vegas NBA Summer League, which will take place from July 9 to July 19.
The Phoenix Suns are in a place of limbo. They aren't true title contenders, but they also aren't a super young team that is in the middle of a rebuild. However, the NBA Summer League is still important for them as they hope that they can harness a young star to help them end this cycle of mediocrity.
The face of their young core right now is Koa Peat, whom the Suns selected with the last pick of the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. And since the Suns did not participate in either the Salt Lake City League or the California Classic, the Vegas iteration of the event will be the first time fans of Peat get to see the 19-year-old in action.
But when do we get to see Peat and the Suns play? And who will the former Arizona Wildcats' teammates be?
Suns Summer League Roster
Along with Peat, here is who the Suns will have with them for the 2026 Summer League.
# | PLAYER | POSITION | HEIGHTS | PRIOR TO NBA | NBA EXP. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Khaman Maluach | C | 7-2 | Duke | 1 |
14 | Koby Brea | G | 6-6 | Kentucky | 1 |
18 | Koa Peat | F | 6-8 | Arizona | R |
20 | Rasheer Fleming | F | 6-9 | St. Joseph's (PA) | 1 |
21 | CJ Huntley | F | 6-10 | Appalachian State | 1 |
45 | Darius Brown II | G | 6-2 | Utah State | 1 |
46 | Javonte Cooke | G | 6-5 | Winston-Salem State | 1 |
47 | Barry Evans | F | 6-8 | VCU | R |
48 | Sam Hoiberg | G | 6-0 | Nebraska | R |
49 | Devin Askew | G | 6-4 | Villanova | R |
50 | Reed Bailey | F | 6-10 | Indiana | R |
51 | Corey Camper Jr. | G | 6-5 | Nevada | R |
52 | Jake Stephens | C | 7-0 | Chattanooga | R |
53 | Tramon Mark | G | 6-6 | Texas | R |
54 | Jameer Nelson Jr. | G | 6-1 | TCU | R |
Outside of Peat, the Suns will have Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Flemings, two 2025 rookies who flashed some potential for the team at various points last season. It will be interesting to see if they can get themselves shutdown from summer league early because they have become "too good" to participate in the event. That would be a nice development for Suns' fans.
It is also cool that we have two sons of prominent former NBA players. Sam Hoiberg is the son of Fred Hoiberg, the current head coach of Nebraska (where Sam played his collegiate career) and a former ten-year NBA veteran. As for Jameer Nelson Jr., he is, of course, the son of former All-Star guard, Jameer Nelson Sr.
Full Suns Summer League Game schedule
Every team in the summer league plays four "preliminary games." This is what the schedule of those games looks like for the Suns.
- Friday, July 10 vs. Portland Trail Blazers — 8:00 p.m. ET
- Sunday, July 12 vs. New Orleans Pelicans — 12:00 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, July 13 vs. Milwaukee Bucks — 7:00 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, July 15 vs. Detroit Pistons — 3:00 p.m. ET
Compared to teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, the Suns won't be going against too many highly-anticipated rookies, which makes sense since Peat was their earliest drafted player and he was selected with the 30th pick in the draft.
However, there is still plenty of reason to watch these games outside of the Suns. The Portland Trail Blazers didn't have a single pick in this last draft, but Yang Hansen, the No. 16 pick from the 2025 NBA Draft, will be on their roster. After the Blazers picked Hansen much higher than where he was viewed, there has been a lot of intrigue around Chinese big man.
After that, the Blazers will face off against the New Orleans Pelicans, another team that didn't take anyone in the first round (they did take Jaron Pierre Jr. with the No. 58 pick, though), who will also be missing Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears. The Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns' third opponent, does boast a pair of lottery picks in Brayden Burries and Nate Ament. And finally, the Detroit Pistons will be headlined by Ebuka Okorie, who they traded up for to draft at No. 17.
If the Suns finish with a top four record after the preliminary games are complete, they will get to play in the semifinals, which will take place on Saturday, July 18. And if they win that game, they will advance to the Championship game on Saturday, July 19, with the chance to be crowned the winner of the 2026 Vegas Summer League.
Where to watch the Suns in Summer League
All summer league games can be found on ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), NBA TV, and Prime Video. You can stream all matchups live using ESPN+ or NBA League Pass. The invaluable streaming service, YouTube TV, will also be broadcasting some of these games.
If you prefer to watch the Suns in person, all games will be played in Las Vegas, Nevada at Thomas & Mack Center -- the home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
The Suns may not have the name recognition of some of the other teams we will see in the next ten days. But hey, you never know when a future star is hiding in plain sight.
More NBA news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google