Indiana Pacers: Brandon Rush Era Comes to an End in the Hoosier State

According to Mike Wells, an Indiana Pacers beat writer for the Indianapolis Star, the team has agreed to deal guard Brandon Rush to the Golden State Warriors for big man Lou Amundson.

The Pacers recently attempted to trade Rush, along with Josh McRoberts, to the Memphis Grizzlies for O.J. Mayo, but the deal fell apart.

Now Rush will be taking his game to the Bay Area to play under first-year Warriors coach and former Pacers point guard Mark Jackson.   

It was pretty much a guarantee that Indiana was going to trade Rush. He's a decent player who can play defense and shoot from long range, but there just wasn't much room for him in the Pacers' backcourt, which includes Paul George, George Hill, Darren Collison, Lance Stephenson and A.J. Price.

And rumors are swirling that the team might sign former All-Star shooting guard Michael Redd. 

After leading Kansas to a national championship, Rush was selected 13th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA draft. He was immediately traded, along with McRoberts and Jarrett Jack, to the Pacers for Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu.     

Rush would go on to average 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds during his three-year stay in Indianapolis.

His best season came in 2009-10 when he produced 9.4 ppg and 4.2 rpg, drilled 124 three-pointers and shot .411 percent from beyond the arc (15th best in the league).  

Rush was a solid role player for the Pacers, but unfortunately got into a little bit of trouble off the court. He was suspended for the first five games of last season for violating the league's substance abuse policy and was questioned for posting anti-gay slurs on Twitter a few weeks ago.  

Rush will get a fresh start in Golden State and could end up helping the Warriors reach the postseason for the first time in five seasons. A change of scenery may be just what he needs.

During his time in Indianapolis, Rush had a few big games, but then again, he also had several forgettable performances.  

Nonetheless, Pacer fans should wish him well.