The Minnesota Timberwolves traded forward Chase Budinger to the Indiana Pacers and in return acquired newcomer Damjan Rudez.
Budinger is a six-year veteran who was plagued by knee woes in his stint with the Timberwolves playing only 54 games in his first two seasons with the team.
Last season the 27-year-old played in 67 games and averaged 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds with 1.0 assist.
The Timberwolves acquired Budinger via trade from the Houston Rockets in 2012 and was given a three-year, $15 million deal.
He is currently on the final year of the deal that will earn him $5 million.
After the finish of the 2014-15 season, Budinger asked the Timberwolves to trade him after losing playing time with the emergence of much younger players.
Now Budinger will be joining a Pacers squad that looks to play in a much faster tempo following the release of notable big men Roy Hibbert and David West.
Hibbert was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a future second-round draft pick while West signed with the San Antonio Spurs this free agency.
If injuries will not be a problem this season, Budinger can provide quick offense for the Pacers who are looking to return to the postseason this year.
Meanwhile, Minnesota received Rudez who played in 68 games for Indiana last season in his first year in the league.
The 29-year-old averaged 4.8 points in 15 minutes of action per outing.
As a power forward, Rudez will join the likes of veteran Kevin Garnett and no. 1 pick Karl Anthony-Towns.
The franchise struggled with their shooting last season and Rudez may help the Timberwolves on that area next season.
Minnesota hopes to return to prominence in the upcoming season having the no. 1 picks in the past three editions of the draft and with the veteran leadership of Garnett who inked a new two-year pact worth $16 million according to the Associated Press.
