NBA Trade Rumors: Indiana Pacers Acquire Chase Budinger From Minnesota Timberwolves For Damjan Rudez

NBA trade rumors have the Indiana Pacers dealing for Chase Budinger of the Minnesota Timberwolves. This trade is relatively small in scale, but it gets the Pacers some added depth for the bench. A report from Yahoo! Sports states that in exchange for Budinger, the Pacers send Damjan Rudez back to the Wolves.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, David West opted out of a deal with the Pacers to sign with the San Antonio Spurs and then the team traded center Roy Hibbert to the LA Lakers to save on the salary expense. These moves have left open roster slots that the team is trying to fill with some veterans.

Chase Budinger should be able to provide a spark off the bench for the Pacers, plus he could see an increase in minutes during the 2015-16 NBA season. Last year with the Wolves, he played in just 19 minutes a night, averaging 6.8 points per game. He is a good threat from three-point range, with a career mark of 36 percent from behind the line. That could be a great weapon for the team if he is used correctly at the small forward position.

The Wolves get a bit of size with Damjan Rudez and another player that can be slotted at the power forward position. It’s not the first time that NBA trade rumors have led to the Wolves making a deal this offseason, and it may not be the last. The team is trying to put together a roster that can finally get back to the NBA postseason, so the front office may have another move or two to make during the offseason.

In his one season since coming over from Yugoslavia, the 6-10 Rudez played in 68 games for the Pacers, averaging just under 16 minutes and 4.8 points per game. He has also been good from three-point range, hitting on 40.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. Rudez could be an interesting player if given the minutes to really show what he can do. On a deeper roster in Minnesota, though, it might be hard for him to find playing time.

As for the biggest reason that these NBA trade rumors culminated in a deal by the two teams; it is because the Indiana Pacers are able to shed even more salary. For the 2015-16 NBA season, Chase Budinger makes $5 million, while Damjan Rudez is on the books for just over $1.15 million.

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