Former Wildcat Chase Budinger Signs with Suns

By Francisco Romero

Former University of Arizonan standout Chase Budinger signed Tuesday with the Phoenix Suns.

The seven-year NBA veteran played 49 games with Indiana this season, averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.9 minutes and scoring in double-digits eight times, including a season-high 15 points at Philadelphia on Nov. 18.

Budinger has played with several NBA teams during his career including Houston, Minnesota and Indiana.

The Encinitas, California native was the 44^th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by

the Detroit Pistons and traded right away to the Houston Rockets.

Budinger is returning to the state where he played collegiate basketball at the University of Arizona from 2006-2009.

At Arizona he earned induction into the Wildcats’ Ring of Honor in 2011. Budinger averaged 17.0 points and 5.8 rebounds over his three seasons in Tucson, including 18.0 points as a junior in 2008-09 when he was named to the All-Pac 10 First Team. With 1,697 career points, Budinger remains 11th on Arizona’s all-time scoring leaderboard and first among those to play fewer than four seasons.

Budinger will wear uniform number 10 with the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns also announced that they have signed forward/center and Phoenix native Alan Williams to a 10-day contract.

Williams, who went undrafted in 2015, has most recently played with Qingdao

DoubleStar of the Chinese Basketball Association where he led the league with an average of 15.4 rebounds in 35 games this season, in addition to scoring 20.8 points per contest. Williams played with Charlotte and Houston at NBA Summer League 2015, averaging 20.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games with the Rockets in Las Vegas.

A 6-8, 260-pound post player, Williams completed a decorated four-year career at UC Santa Barbara in 2015. The Gauchos’ all-time leading rebounder (1,125) and second-leading scorer (1,732).

Born in Phoenix, Williams attended North High School where he was a part of two state title teams and was named All-Arizona as a senior in 2011.

Williams will wear uniform number 15. The Suns’ roster now stands at 15; an updated roster is attached.