Wiz, Mavs Officially Complete Blockbuster Trade Involving Caron Butler, Josh Howard

The Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks agreed to a deal Saturday that will significantly change the appearances of both teams involved. The Wizards will receive Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton, and Quinton Ross. The Mavericks, meanwhile, will get Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson.

The deal, which has yet to be approved by the NBA, is expected to be finalized on Monday.

Michael Lee of the Washington Post notes how radically this trade will transform the Wizards:

The trade dramatically changes the look of the Wizards (17-33). Butler made two all-star appearances in his five seasons in Washington, Haywood was the longest-tenured Wizard and final link to the Michael Jordan era and Stevenson was a starter on two playoff teams. But a person with knowledge of team’s thinking said on Saturday that there could be more changes on the way before the Thursday trade deadline.

“It’s time to go in another direction,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade is still being worked out. “This wasn’t working.”

Add this to the removal of Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon from the roster weeks ago, and you have a Wizards team that looks much different from the squad that tipped off in the 2009-10 season opener.

Mike Prada of our Wizards blog, Bullets Forever, has already tweeted his displeasure. First:

And to reiterate:

This seems to be a good trade for the Mavericks. For thoughts on this trade from a Dallas perspective, you’ll want to check back with SB Nation’s own Mavs Moneyball.