McDonough: Suns ready for the next step with Devin Booker

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is already one of the premier young scorers in the National Basketball Association. Soon, he could be its next $100 million man.

In his most recent effort to speed up ‘The Timeline’, Suns general manager Ryan McDonough has mentioned that the organization is ready to move forward with Booker.

“We’re ready for that next step, I think Devin in particular is ready for that next step,” McDonough told Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Following the year, the Kentucky product is eligible for an extension. The Suns can pick up Booker’s team option next season, delaying the start of the extension until the 2019-20 season.

Now in his third season, Booker is averaging career-highs in points (24.2), rebounds (4.4) and assists (4.8) per game after being drafted 13th overall in 2015.

But Booker and McDonough know the former can’t be a one-man show for the Suns to have success.

“He’s [Booker] a really good player who deserves better players around him and we’ll do whatever we can to make that happen this upcoming offseason,” McDonough told Doug & Wolf.

Backing his words with action McDonough has already made one notable move. His eleventh-hour deal at the trade deadline landed the expiring contract of point guard Elfrid Payton. The evaluation of his play will likely determine who the Suns draft in June.

#Suns GM Ryan McDonough talks about Elfrid Payton and what Phoenix could do long-term at point guard: pic.twitter.com/qPQ1dYf67B

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 16, 2018

Through three games, Payton is averaging 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game while learning the playbook on the fly.

Tied for the league’s worst record at 18-41, McDonough expressed that Suns still have more moves to make.

“I think you’ll see us be more aggressive than we have been and that’s probably after adding a very talented player in this draft,” McDonough told Doug & Wolf.

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