Fresh Start

The Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks have now completed a swap of Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and two other players. The trade dramatically changes the look of the Wizards. 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 there could be more changes on the way before the trade deadline. The move impressed Kobe Bryant enough to declare the Mavs legitimate competition for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs probably could have sent Howard to Golden State for Stephen Jackson earlier this season. That would have been an immediate upgrade but yhey ended up getting Butler, a similar high-scoring player with an all-around game with only one season remaining on his contract, and a defensive-minded big man with an expiring contract in Haywood. In the end they were were patient, too and it paid off.