Chase Budinger had yet to even sign or practice with the Suns before he felt comfortable in Phoenix.
Budinger, a star during his college years at the University of Arizona, cleared waivers from a buyout in Indiana on Monday and signed with Phoenix for the remainder of the season on Tuesday. The lead-up tasks, though, of physicals, going to the gym and getting situated in Phoenix included local interaction that has made him feel welcome already.
“I’ve always said in my career that this is a place I would always love to come play for,” Budinger said after his first Suns practice Tuesday.