Suns name Ryan McDonough new GM
The Orlando Magic's Rob Hennigan has his title as the league's youngest GM in tact. But not by much.
The Phoenix Suns hired 33-year-old Ryan McDonough as their new GM on Tuesday, luring him away from the Boston Celtics to revamp a struggling franchise that finished at the bottom of the Pacific Division last season with a 25-57 record.
McDonough joined the Celtics in 2003 as a member of their video department one year after graduating from North Carolina. Since then, he has spent time in various front office positions, most recently as an assistant GM for the past three seasons. In a report from Paul Coro of AZCentral.com, Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said in a statement that he has full confidence in McDonough's ability to identify talent, and spoke to the 10 draft picks the team has over the next three years, including six in the first round:
“Ryan distinguished himself among an impressive group of candidates for our GM position. His natural leadership and communication skills will serve the Suns well. And, his prodigious work ethic and ability to identify talent will enable us to take full advantage of the 10 draft choices, including six in the first round, that we have over the next three years. We welcome his championship pedigree to our organization.”
According to the report, McDonough has been credited with drafting Avery Bradley with the No. 19 pick in 2010, and was also part of a group within the Celtics organization that decided to use a draft-day trade in 2006 to acquire Rajon Rondo from Phoenix.
