He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 44th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft after playing three years of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats.

Budinger was a standout basketball and volleyball player at La Costa Canyon High School while living in Encinitas, California; his teammates on the basketball team included future NFL quarterback Kevin O'Connell and future Wagner College Point Guard, Caleb Stratton.

[7] However, on the final day of the deadline for pulling out of the early entry list, Budinger opted not to remain in the draft and returned to school instead.

[12] In the 2009 season opener for the Rockets, Budinger came off the bench and logged 15 minutes of playing time while scoring 6 points and collecting one rebound.

[16] During the Rockets' season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Budinger scored a new career-high 35 points on 12 of 21 shooting, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range.

[19] On June 25, 2012, Budinger, along with the rights to Lior Eliyahu, was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the eighteenth pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

[20] On November 2, he made his debut for the Timberwolves in a 92–80 win over the Sacramento Kings, recording nine points, five rebounds and one block in 21 minutes off the bench.

[22] On October 28, he made his debut for Indiana in a 106–99 loss to the Toronto Raptors, recording two rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes off the bench.

[33] His maternal grandfather, Andrejs Eglītis, was Latvian, and fled to the United States shortly after the Soviet occupation of the country.

[34] Budinger's older sister, Brittanie, played volleyball at the University of San Francisco and as a professional in Europe.