Sam Hoiberg went undrafted. The Suns didn’t wait long to call his agent.

The 2026 NBA Draft came and went without Sam Hoiberg hearing his name called. By the time the final pick was announced, he already had another plan in motion.

Hoiberg, the 23-year-old guard who spent five years at Nebraska, intends to sign a free-agent deal with the Phoenix Suns. The news broke via NBA insider Jake Fischer and was later confirmed by Priority Sports, the agency representing him. Hoiberg also posted about it himself. So yeah, it’s happening.

The Suns had a quiet draft night. Then they moved fast.

Phoenix traded up to grab Koa Peat at No. 30 overall, then dealt away their No. 47 pick. That left them without a second-round selection. But the front office didn’t just pack it in after the draft ended. They jumped into the undrafted market and zeroed in on Hoiberg pretty quickly.

It makes sense if you look at his senior year. Hoiberg wasn’t just a rotation guy. He was a starter for all 35 games, earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors, and got an honorable mention All-Big Ten nod. He averaged 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 55% from the field and 38.1% from three. He also played over 32 minutes a night.

One stat jumps out more than the rest. His assist-to-turnover ratio was 3.75-to-1. That’s the best single-season mark in Nebraska program history. Not bad for a guy who walked on and redshirted back in 2021-22.

His dad is Fred Hoiberg. But Sam earned his own shot.

His father played in the NBA and has been a head coach at Nebraska for years. But Sam didn’t get handed anything. He started as a walk-on, worked his way into the rotation, and eventually became the kind of player who could help a team win a Sweet Sixteen game. In Nebraska’s 74-72 win over Vanderbilt in the Round of 32, he put up eight points and eight assists. That win sent the Cornhuskers to the second weekend of the tournament for the first time ever in program history.

The Suns have already added backcourt depth this offseason by re-signing Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie. Hoiberg will have to fight for a spot. But he’s been doing that his whole career.

Now he gets to try it at the next level.