Report: Timberwolves, Pacers 'nearing agreement on a trade' for Chase Budinger
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Small forward Chase Budinger is about to blindfold-180 his way to the Eastern Conference.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are "nearing agreement on a trade" that will send the 27-year-old to the Indiana Pacers, reports Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
As part of the deal, Indiana will send Minnesota 6-foot-10 forward Damjan Rudez, who led all rookies in 3-point shooting last season with a mark of 40.6 percent. The Croatian big will be a welcome addition to a team which finished 25th in shooting the long ball, drilling just 33.2 percent of their attempts.
Budinger was selected with the No. 44 pick in the second round of the 2009 draft by the Houston Rockets, who traded him three seasons later to the Timberwolves in a package for the 18th pick in the 2012 draft. That pick was used on Terrence Jones.
The Arizona Wildcats alum has been a serviceable role player over the course of his six-year career, although his last two seasons in the North Star State were his worst.
Budinger averaged 6.8 points and 3 rebounds in 67 games this past season. A 19-game stretch from March 11 to April 13 highlighted his year, as he averaged 13.4 points on 50.3 percent shooting.
Minnesota went 2-17 during that span, so Budinger's numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.
Budinger doesn't do any one thing particularly well, especially when it comes to what he offers on the defensive end. He'll hit some shots in a limited role for Indiana, but probably won't make much of an impact in his new surroundings beyond that.
The Timberwolves are loaded at the wing positions, with NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Shabazz Muhammad all factoring into the team's long-term plans. Budinger, who's undergone multiple knee surgeries, wanted to head to a more "veteran-laden" team instead of sitting low on Minnesota's depth chart as they go full speed ahead with their youth movement, reports Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press.
Budinger will likely begin the season as Paul George's primary backup, competing for minutes with Solomon Hill.