Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks-Wizards complete seven-player trade, steal spotlight from All-Star Saturday Night
To say that All-Star Weekend began well for the Dallas Mavericks would be an understatement.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Before Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd represent the Mavericks in Sunday' All-Star Game, the Dallas squad stole the thunder from the midseason gala’s prized events, All-Star Saturday Night and the Slam Dunk contest, by making headlines with a seven-player swap with the Washington Wizards.
The Mavericks finalized on the acquisition of forward Caron Butler, center Brendan Haywood, guard DeShawn Stevenson and cash considerations from the Wizards, sending back swingman Josh Howard, big man Drew Gooden, forward James Singleton and guard Quinton Ross to the East Coast in exchange.
"This was an important move for us, at this particular time, simply because it makes us a better team," Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said of the trade. "You've got to give quality to get quality. We just thought the pieces were better fits."
The deal is headlined by the flip flopping of two former All-Stars, Butler and Howard. Though the Mavericks have watched the growth of Howard since he entered the league in 2003, the organization felt that Butler was a better fit to assist in reaching the goal of an NBA title. Howard was the second-longest tenured Maverick on the roster behind Dirk Nowitzki.
"Sometimes you have to make some tough decisions," Nowitzki said after watching his long-time teammate depart from Dallas. "It's always tough and sad to see a teammate leave, especially when you've played with him for a long time…Sometimes the franchise moves on and makes tough decisions, and that was one of them."
"Josh was a very, very difficult decision," Nelson said. "Here's a guy that started his career with the Mavericks, was a huge part of our success and took us to the Finals. We're going to miss him both on and off the floor."
But Butler is certainly no slouch.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
The 6-foot-7, seven-year pro is a two-time All-Star. He started all 47 games in which he suited up for Washington, averaging 16.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals a contest. All of Butler's stats this season rank higher or near his average career numbers.
"You're looking at a guy like Caron Butler that can give us an offensive push. He's been around the block, two-time All-Star, knows what it takes to win at the highest level, has the experience – that was a factor," Nelson added.
"Caron is probably more of a conventional fit for us."
The Mavericks also bring in a conventional center, in Haywood, that can spell starting five man Erick Dampier. The 7-footer ranks third all-time in Wizards' history in field goal percentage (.561), fourth in blocks and sixth in rebounds, playing in 579 games for the squad.
"We think (Haywood) can really help us get to a level where we can put Damp and him in there, in some cases, matching up against two bigs," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said of the big man. "He can run and he can finish…He's not a go-to scorer, but he's certainly someone that can anchor our defense."
Meanwhile, Stevenson should add depth to a veteran bench. The guard has averaged 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his career since being drafted out of high school by the Utah Jazz in 2000.
The trio of new Mavericks are expected to join the team on Monday after the All-Star break. The team will look to add the new additions into the fold immediately, playing four games in five nights when the Mavericks return from the festivities.
"It's going to be tough to get everybody involved that quick, we've got a tough stretch here with four games in five nights. But nothing is easy in this league," Nowitzki said.
For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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