Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said the ”overwhelming likelihood” is that the team will keep its No. 1 overall pick and not trade it away.

McDonough made the comment Friday after the first of what will be many pre-draft workouts of players on the Suns’ practice court.

The leading candidates for that No. 1 almost certainly will be worked out privately Marshall Faulk Jersey , with the exception of Luka Doncic, the European sensation who still is playing in Spain.

”Obviously the agents have a lot of say,” McDonough said. ”They have a strong voice in the process. They’re worried about injuries, which we understand is part of it. So we’d love them to come in and compete against the other top guys at their position. I think for the guys in the mix at No. 1 that’s going to be tough for us to put together.”

The Suns won the lottery for the first No. 1 pick in the franchise’s 50-year history. In the days that followed, McDonough said the team would be open to trading that pick. But that seemed less likely when he described the criteria such a deal would have to entail.

”It would have to be a young, proven star player with multiple years on his contract, multiple years of team control,” McDonough said. ”Once you start whittling down the list, that list probably shrinks to a handful of players if not fewer players than that. So I think the overwhelming likelihood is that we keep the pick. However, we’re open, if those teams call us or we call them. But as of now obviously we’re planning on keeping it.”

McDonough insists there are a few players in the mix, but the names at the top according to most observers are Doncic and Arizona’s Deandre Ayton.

Born and raised in the Bahamas, the 7-foot-1 Ayton played his one college season just down Interstate 10 at the University of Arizona, where he averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

McDonough said he believes questions about Ayton’s defense stem from the fact he had to play alongside another 7-footer, Dusan Ristic, in college.

”So he was guarding away from the basket on the perimeter,” McDonough said. ”In the NBA John Ross Jersey , obviously, he’s a center. He’s a five. He slides well. He moves his feet well. He’s a tremendous athlete in terms of strength, fluidity, coordination, all of that.”

McDonough said Ayton ”has a high-level feel for the game, especially on the offensive end of the court. And from my experience guys who have that at the offensive end of the floor usually, in time, are able to translate that to the defensive end of the court as well.”

McDonough said he plans to try to get to Europe one more time to see Doncic.

”We’ve seen him play a lot,” McDonough said. ”I’ve personally seen him four or five times in the last seven or eight months, (assistant general manager) Pat Connelly’s seen him. Igor’s seen him more than anybody.”

New Suns coach Igor Kokoskov coached Doncic on the Slovenian national team that won the European championship last year.

McDonough was asked about the observation that Doncic lacks high-level athleticism. But the Suns GM noted that the young European guard is ”really, really big” – 6-foot-6 and weighs 218 pounds.

”Because he’s so skilled at that size and has such a good feel, I think you don’t realize on tape how big he is,” McDonough said. ”He’s able to jab and create his own shot. He’s able to lower his shoulder and create space to overpower defenders. He’s adept at getting to the free throw line. I don’t have any concerns with him physically.”

On Friday, the Suns worked out a group of guards, most of them four-year college players. They included Tra Holder from Arizona State.

The Suns also have the No. 16 pick overall in the draft and, in the second round, Nos. 30 and 59.

But that No. 1 pick is the big one Youth Billy Price Jersey , something neither the Suns nor McDonough have dealt with before.

”I think there are some drafts that you prefer not to have the No. 1 pick just because there isn’t a player worthy of that,” he said. ”I think in some ways you’re set up to fail in that scenario. This year we feel the opposite. We feel there are four or five players who in normal drafts would be in the mix for No. 1 if not be the No. 1 pick.

”We view that as a good problem to have. It’s a really talented draft. I think this will be one that you look back on historically and say that was one of the better drafts in the last decade. And it’s great to kick it off No. 1.”

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres can finally prepare for the start of the season with their full complement of forwards after signing Sam Reinhart to a two-year, $7.3 million contract on Wednesday.

Reinhart was a restricted free agent, and the team’s lone offseason holdout before reaching the deal after missing the first five days of training camp and two preseason games.

The signing came during the Sabres’ day off and after Reinhart’s representatives were spotted attending Buffalo’s 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Reinhart has spent much of the past month in Buffalo working out, including taking part in informal skates with his teammates.

The delay in reaching a deal was partly a result of Reinhart’s inconsistent production during his three-plus NHL seasons since the Sabres selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2014 draft.

Reinhart’s inconsistencies were apparent last year, when he managed seven goals and six assists in his first 44 games. He closed the season by scoring 18 goals and 19 assists in his final 38 games and finished with a career-best 25 goals and 50 points.

Overall, the 22-year-old has 65 goals and 140 points in 249 career games.

Reinhart can play both wing and center. He’s projected to fill a role on one of Buffalo’s top two lines on a roster that underwent a significant overhaul this past summer. The changes came after the Sabres finished last in the standings for the third time in five years.

The Sabres made trades to acquire forwards Conor Sheary from Pittsburgh and Jeff Skinner from Carolina. They also dealt center Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis in exchange for forwards Tage Thompson, who is entering his second NHL season, and veterans Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund.

Despite the changes, general manager Jason Botterill stressed Reinhart was expected to play a significant role on the team.

“He is part of the rebuild. That’s the bottom line,” Botterill said last week. “It’s evident that he’s worked very hard this summer.”

One option is having Reinhart continue playing alongside first-line center Jack Eichel, with rookie Casey Mittelstadt centering the second line. The Sabres also haven’t ruled out the possibility of Reinhart centering the second line.

The Sabres return to practice Thursday, and play a preseason game at Toronto on Friday, before hosting the Maple Leafs the following night.