Budinger (hamstring) returned to practice Sunday and plans to play in Tuesday's matchup with the Pistons, Nate Taylor of the Indystar reports.

EDGE Analysis

Budinger has missed three straight preseason games due to the hamstring injury, but he's back at practice and should be ready to play come Tuesday. Don't be surprised if he's on a minutes restriction, though, as it's only preseason and the Pacers don't want to risk a further aggravation. He'll slot in as the backup to C.J. Miles at small forward.

Budinger (hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday's preseason game against Orlando, Candace Buckner of the Indy Star reports.

EDGE Analysis

Budinger will miss a third straight preseason matchup due to the hamstring ailment, and he's currently without a return timetable. While the injury isn't considered overly serious, the fact that he's already been ruled out for Thursday's game, rather than being listed as questionable or doubtful, may be an indication that he's currently not close to 100 percent.

Budinger has missed the Pacers' first two preseason games with a sore right hamstring.

EDGE Analysis

The injury has prevented Budinger from making much of a run at the starting small forward job, for which C.J. Miles appears the clear frontrunner. Injury issues have not been foreign to Budinger throughout his career, as the 67 games he played last season were his most since 2010-11. He'll be a key member of the Pacers' rotation once the hamstring issues subside, but it's a fairly safe bet to expect some malady to keep him sidelined for a stretch of action at some point during the regular season.

Budinger was acquired to compete for the starting small forward spot, Candace Buckner of the IndyStar reports. Budinger will battle with C.J. Miles if he's to earn a role in the starting rotation. In 23 games after the All-Star break last season, he provided 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 three-pointers in 24.6 minutes per game.

Budinger will be traded to the Pacers in exchange for Damjan Rudez, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Budinger accepted a $5 million player option earlier in the offseason after coming off yet another season where he was riddled with injuries and played in just 67 games. He's in line to come off the bench in Indiana while competing for playing time with C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey.

Budinger has exercised his player option for the 2015-2016 season to remain with the Timberwolves, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Budinger will earn $5MM to remain a member of the Timberwolves for at least one more season. The volume of injuries across Minnesota's roster late in the season allowed Budinger to fill a bigger role off the bench in the last two months of the season. He averaged 12.3 points over the last 21 games of the season.

Budinger finished the 2014-15 season with averages of 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 19.2 minutes per game (67 games). In his third year with the Timberwolves, Budinger was in and out of the rotation for the first few months of the season. His role seemed to change on a night-to-night basis, which likely impacted his ability to find a rhythm. His chance finally came late in the season when the Wolves encountered a number of key injuries. After seeing just 6.0 minutes per game in February, Budinger's workload jumped to 27.0 minutes in March and 33.9 in April. His numbers were impressive over that time, as he put up 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting just under 50 percent from the floor over the final 20 games of the season. Budinger's future with the Wolves is up in the air at this point, and he'll have a decision to make this summer facing a $5 million player option for the 2015-16 campaign.

Budinger (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game. Budinger rolled his ankle Monday, and it sounds like there was never much of a chance that he'd play in the season finale.

Budinger (ankle) is doubtful to play Wednesday. Budinger was initially listed as questionable, but he's been downgraded to doubtful, and it seems quite unlikely that he takes the court after spraining his ankle Monday.

Budinger (ankle) is officially questionable for Wednesday's regular season finale against the Raptors. Budinger sprained his ankle in Monday's game, but still managed to log 30 minutes in the contest. Given the large number of injuries the team is currently dealing with, he may be pushed into action if at all possible.