NBA: Rockets acquire #18 pick, send Budinger to Timberwolves

The Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to a trade that sends sharpshooting forward Chase Budinger and the draft rights to 2006 second round pick Lior Eliyahu to Minnesota in exchange for the 18th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, multiple sources confirmed.

The Houston Rockets have traded Chase Budinger to Minnesota for the #18 pick. Confirmed. — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 26, 2012  

Minnesota has agreed to trade the 18th overall pick in Thursday's draft to Houston for Chase Budinger, league sources tell Y! Sports. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2012  

Houston has also included the rights to Israeli Lior Eliyahu in the deal to Minnesota, a source said. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2012  

Lior Eliyahu will join the Timberwolves for Summer League in Las Vegas. Has a real chance to make their team it sounds. — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 26, 2012  

Budinger, a second round pick in the 2009 draft, has a team option for just $942,293 in the upcoming season. Last year, he played 58 games for the Rockets, averaging 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while connecting on 40.2 percent of his three-pointers. He will fill a need for the T-Wolves at the "3" spot, giving them a more consistent outside threat to supplement star point guard Ricky Rubio and big man Kevin Love. Acquiring Budinger could mean other pieces will now be in play for Minnesota. The team holds a $5.7 million team option on Martell Webster, and has until June 30 (July 1, PHL time) to extend a qualifying offer to former second overall pick Michael Beasley. Other swingmen on the club's roster include the second overall pick in last year's draft Derrick Williams, and 2010 fourth overall pick Wesley Johnson.   On the other hand, Houston now owns the 14th, 16th, and 18th picks in this Thursday's (Friday, PHL time) rookie draft. Speculation is rampant that the team is hoarding assets in other to swing a trade for the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, by offering newly-hired general manager Rob Hennigan a hard-to-refuse combination of multiple draft picks and young talent.

The Rockets own the 14th, 16th and 18th picks in Thursday's draft. They want to make an offer that Orlando can't refuse for Dwight Howard. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2012  

Houston will keep working to flip those picks (14, 16 and 18) as part of package for Howard, or perhaps an impact player high in lottery. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2012  

Howard, a multiple-time All-Star, has a year left on his salary. In the past season, the talented big man had frequently shifted his position on whether or not he wants a trade out of the franchise that drafted him back in 2004. The prevailing thought seems to be that if the Magic cannot convince Howard to sign an extension to his deal by surrounding him with more talent, they will opt to trade him, rather than lose the three-time Defensive Player of the Year for nothing. It is said that Houston general manager Daryl Morey is willing to trade for Howard, even if it's on a one-year "rental basis," meaning that Howard would come over even without an agreement in place for a contract extension.

Trade story add: Dwight obviously Rockets' dream target but sources say they'll pursue Atlanta's Josh Smith (and others) if ORL won't budge

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 26, 2012

ESPN's Mark Stein also reports that should a deal for Howard not push through, Houston would still have more than enough pieces to pursue other players, such as Atlanta's Josh Smith. - AMD, GMA News