HoopsHype.com Rumors

There will be several major debates in the Grizzlies' draft war room, and the discussions won't solely be about which player to select near the bottom of the first round. Internal talks about trading their 25th overall pick for a young veteran player have entered the forefront of the Grizzlies' draft preparations. Team executives in favor of moving the pick lost out earlier this week when the Griz passed on a chance to acquire Houston small forward Chase Budinger. Minnesota landed Budinger Tuesday in a deal that gave Houston the 18th pick in tonight's NBA draft. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Draft, Trade, Chase Budinger 

The relationship between Budinger and Adelman might be one of the most important facets of the trade. Instead of relying only on intelligence gathered from scouting and watching Budinger play against the Timberwolves, Kahn also looked to Adelman's opinion when making the deal. That familiarity simplified the trade, and it'll also make Budinger's transition to the Timberwolves that much easier. "Because of Coach Adelman and all the other people that came to us from the Rockets organization, there was a real comfort level that we knew exactly who we were obtaining in this trade," Kahn said. Fox Sports North

Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Trade, David Kahn, Chase Budinger, Rick Adelman 

Ray Richardson: Chase let it out that he & McHale had issues. "It was tough at first. He didn't know what I could do." Chase happy to reunite with Adelman. Twitter

Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin McHale, Chase Budinger 

Jerry Zgoda: Budinger: Happy to be here, says Wolves "feel like the new Oklahoma." Everybody is young and can get better together.... Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Chase Budinger 

Joan Nielsen: Per @Twolves_PR, Chase Budinger will wear No. 10 in Minnesota. #Timberwolves Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Chase Budinger 

The Minnesota Timberwolves officially announced Tuesday evening what was reported earlier in the day. The team has acquired 6-7 guard/forward Chase Budinger and the draft rights to forward Lior Eliyahu from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the 18th overall pick in Thursday's draft. "We're excited to add a player like Chase who is a proven shot-maker and also has an excellent all-around game," David Kahn, the Wolves' president of basketball operations, said in a statement issued by the team. "Chase knows Rick Adelman's system well after playing for him in Houston, and he will be a good fit on our team." ESPN.com

Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Draft, Trade, David Kahn, Chase Budinger, Rick Adelman 

Jonathan Feigen: Wolves have until Sat to pick up option on Budinger's contract. Surely will, but he'd be a restricted free agent if they want him long-term. Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Free Agency, Chase Budinger 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Minnesota has agreed to trade the 18th overall pick in Thursday's draft to Houston for Chase Budinger, league sources tell Y! Sports. Twitter

Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Draft, Trade, Adrian Wojnarowski, Chase Budinger 

NBA sources also told FOX 26 the Rockets will exercise the upcoming option in Budinger's contract. FOX 26 Sports

Houston Rockets, Free Agency, Chase Budinger 

Chase Budinger is of Latvian origin. His grandfather was born in Latvia but moved to the United States during World War II. "I know I have some Latvian blood, close relatives. Although I've never been there, the rest of my family did, they have visited the country," Budinger said in an interview to the Latvian media. "I've been too busy to go, but my brother just came from a visit to Latvia a month ago." tvnet.lv

Houston Rockets, Chase Budinger, Latvia 

Chase Budinger: "Playing for the Latvian team would be an honor, especially because of my grandparents, but then I would lose the opportunity to represent the U.S. team, which has always been my dream." tvnet.lv

Houston Rockets, USA Basketball, Team USA, Chase Budinger, Latvia 

National team director Maris Jučmanis has already spoken to the player (Budinger) and negotiations continue. tvnet.lv

Houston Rockets, Chase Budinger, Latvia 

The Houston Rockets have roughly eight players they have shopped around the NBA, so it’s safe to say they will be trading someone today. Terrance Williams, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Hasheem Thabeet and Courtney Lee have all be offered around, so it seems something will drop for the Houston Rockets today. HoopsWorld

Houston Rockets, Jonny Flynn, Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Terrence Williams, Hasheem Thabeet, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill 

Look for the Rockets to have a busy week as well, with free-agents-to-be Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Jonny Flynn and Terrence Williams among those who would likely welcome a trade. SI.com

Houston Rockets, Trade, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger 

Daryl Morey: That was like the vote counting in the movie Election. @Chase Budinger won that. At least Northwestern won. NCAA Tournament with 1 more W. Twitter

Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey, Chase Budinger 

Media Lab developed the net in a partnership with Turner Sports. The results, displayed on the Sprite Intensity Meter on the bottom right of your TV screen, will determine, once and for all, if George throws down with more authority than Chase Budinger. Yeah, it’s little more than marketing hype — “Sprite Intensity Meter” was a pretty big clue to that — but this has some real science behind it. Wired.com

Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Paul George, Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams 

The NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest in Orlando is getting a social media makeover, and fan voting will determine the winner. The league announced Thursday that four players will compete for the title on Feb. 25, at Amway Center (TNT, 8 p.m. ET) including the Houston Rockets' Chase Budinger, the Indiana Pacers' Paul George, the New York Knicks' Iman Shumpert, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' Derrick Williams. All the players are first-time participants in the event. Orlando Sentinel

Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Paul George, Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams, Iman Shumpert 

The Houston Rockets have been active, but word is their asking price on players is very, very high. As one executive classified it; “they are asking the moon for role players”, but it is clear that Courtney Lee, Jonny Flynn and Terrence Williams all could be had. League sources also say that Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger are also obtainable players, but what Houston is looking for from those guys is way too much. HoopsWorld

Houston Rockets, Trade, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill 

According to another individual involved in the talks at the time, the Hornets amended their trade demands from the Rockets at the NBA's direction to say Kyle Lowry would have to replace Dragic in the deal along with Patrick Patterson or Chase Budinger and an additional pick. "Until the trade was complete with the Clippers, they (the Rockets, Hornets and Lakers) were in constant negotiations," the individual with knowledge of the talks said. "(Alexander) doesn't believe the league negotiated in good faith. "They were using them (the Rockets) to up the ante with the Clippers." Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Trade, Chris Paul, Pau Gasol, Patrick Patterson, Kyle Lowry, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, Chase Budinger 

With the NBA lockout showing no signs of resolution, the steady flow of players headed overseas is expected to turn into a torrent. The latest is Houston Rockets forward Chase Budinger, who announced Wednesday that he was signing with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia. SN Nation

Houston Rockets, Lockout, Russia, Chase Budinger