Robert Sarver has been incredibly impressed by the leadership of 33-year-old general manager Ryan McDonough.

"Given his age, I was really surprised at Ryan's level of knowledge and confidence," Sarver said. "A lot of guys can get wishy-washy about their convictions when it comes to players and coaches, but he had such strong opinions – such conviction – of what he wanted to do. He had an absolute strategic vision for our franchise."

The Phoenix Suns have begun the season with a 17-10 record.

"I needed to get a team with a GM and a coach who would have a good working relationship," Sarver told Yahoo Sports. "We had problems with Steve [Kerr] and Mike [D'Antoni], with Alvin [Gentry] and Lance [Blanks].

"It puts too much stress on the team."