When a report surfaced saying that the Timberwolves were looking to trade Chase Budinger, the Rockets were one of the teams that registered an initial interest.
Houston drafted Budinger in 2009, before trading him to Minnesota in 2012. And while Houston has never been afraid to revisit its personnel mistakes, it appears as though Budinger’s contract situation is one that is prohibitive in terms of what the Rockets may be willing to risk.
From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:Rockets have zero interest in his contract. RT @liuSamPark: @Jonathan_Feigen rumor about Chasebudinger’s back, need confirm pls
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 17, 2014
Budinger is only making $5 million this season, but the player option for the same amount next year is what has Houston balking.
The Rockets are looking to add a third star to play alongside James Harden and Dwight Howard, and need to keep as much cap space available as possible to try to make that happen. Budinger has missed 41 games and 59 games respectively in each of the last two seasons, so the health risk outweighs the contribution he may be able to bring to his new team’s roster -- at least in the eyes of the Rockets.
