Pacers trade Damjan Rudez to Minnesota for Chase Budinger
LAS VEGAS – In a summer of shaping a smaller, younger, faster, more athletic roster, the Indiana Pacers made yet another deal on Saturday by trading sharpshooter Damjan Rudež in exchange for 6-foot-7 Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Chase Budinger.
The move means the Pacers should have more competition for the backup wing depth come training camp between two former University of Arizona Wildcats, Budinger and third-year player Solomon Hill. Furthermore, while the Pacers have moved their best statistical shooter in 29-year-old Rudež, the low-risk gamble could pay off next season as the team gains a bit more versatility from a six-year veteran.
At 27, Budinger’s career must be marked in two halves. First, by the potential he showed in his first three seasons with Houston, then by the injuries that marred his last three in Minnesota.
A once-promising slasher and leaper – Budinger competed in the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest along with, among others, Paul George -- he averaged 9.4 points on 43 percent shooting from the field and 36.3 percent 3-point shooting during 210 games in Houston.
However, after being traded to Minnesota in the summer of 2012, Budinger sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee during the first month of the regular season. That year, Budinger only made 23 appearances, then during workouts over the next summer he tore the meniscus again and required surgery that caused him to miss the first 34 games of the 2013-14 season.
Budinger proved to remain reasonably healthy last season when the Wolves mobilized him as a combo small forward and stretch-four. In 67 game appearances, the most since his second season, Budinger worked mainly as a standstill shooter, making 38 percent of his threes in catch-and-shoot situations, according to NBA.com statistics. Budinger rarely put the ball on the floor and yet attempted the majority of his shots (70 of 118 overall) in the restricted area while cutting off pin-downs and moving for backdoor finishes.
On the other end, Budinger, once a standout volleyball player, may not be the most dynamic individual defender but should give the Pacers length. At the 2009 NBA combine, Budinger was measured to have an 8-5 standing reach.
In April, Budinger exercised his $5 million player option but will become a free agent next summer. Rudež, who would’ve made a bargain basement salary of $1.2 million, shot with a 40-percent touch from the 3-point arc, best among the players who participated in the majority of the season.
Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.