The NBA trade rumor mill is already turning ahead of the season, as Chase Budinger has emerged as a target for the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons and now the Minnesota Timberwolves may look at making a deal and this comes after the team already traded for Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett with the Cavaliers this offseason.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Timberwolves are looking to move Budinger after making those deals and also trading for Thaddeus Young and both the Rockets and the Pistons have shown interest. The Pistons are dealing with injuries to Jodie Meeks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while the Rockets have some depth issues at forward and could use Budinger as a bench option. The Wolves have not been shy about making trades this summer and now they could make another move with Budinger.
The Rockets previously had Budinger after drafting him in 2009 and he was solid with the team before leaving, but he has dealt with injury issues. Budinger previously missed 59 games two years ago and he also missed over 40 games last season. Budinger likely will not find as many minutes with Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins and Bennett on the roster and that is one reason why the Wolves are shopping him.
Budinger has a $5 million for next season and that is one reason why the Rockets are reluctant to do the deal, as they want as much cap space as possible for next summer in the free agent market. The Pistons also are worried about the option, but they have injuries and may do the deal anyway. The report says that no trade is imminent, but both sides could revisit things early in the season or just before the season starts. The Wolves expect to be a decent team this season despite trading away Kevin Love and they feel that adding Wiggins and Bennett will be enough to get things done. Budinger was a strong three point shooter back when he was with Houston and while he dealt with injuries last season, he averaged six points per game and shot over 35 percent from three.
Budinger has not been able to stay on the court over the past few seasons and that may make a deal risky for the Pistons, as they need healthy bodies. The season starts after next week and it's unlikely that a deal gets done before that. The Rockets are reluctant to add too much cap space, as they are hoping to go after Rajon Rondo and other players in free agency next summer.