I think it looks GREAT considering it was a large summertime transplant in hot Texas. What was your watering schedule?

What is the cause for your concern?

Probably the two things to look for since the foliage looks good are if the stake's strap is rubbing any bark off and if it seems to be settling deeper or was planted too deep.

But yeah, I think it looks pretty good.

Thanks for the reply! I have noticed it seems to have to have settled a little deeper than when originally planted. Maybe 1" or so. I water it once a week right now for about an hour with a slow trickle from my hose. I have never had a Redbud before so wasnt sure what was healthy. The back side of the tree does not have as many branches/leaves but i'm hoping those will fill out in the next few seasons. Should I start to prune some of the lower branches to raise the canopy, or do you just leave these Redbuds alone? (The straps around the trunk are very loose and wrapped in plastic PVC tubing to prevent rubbing)

I agree it looks great. Don't prune anything off of it now. Wait until after it blooms in spring.