Josh Howard traded to Wizards

Ever since the 2006 NBA Finals, Josh Howard has been rumored to be on the trading block. Howard stepped up in the Finals to become a consistent star for the Mavericks. His stellar play in those Finals also gained the attention of other teams in the league. After the 2007 NBA Playoffs, rumors began circulating about the Dallas Mavericks possibly trading Josh Howard.

Throughout the course of this season, the Mavericks have played very well. Aside from their blowout loss in Denver, they have looked like contenders. Most of their strong play was attributed to Josh Howard. He and Dirk Nowitzki have formed to become a dominant one-two punch in Dallas. Despite their chemistry, the Mavs have been interested in trading Howard.

Dallas had been rumored to be attempting to trade Howard to the Rockets in exchange for Tracy McGrady. There were also rumors that tied the star player to the Knicks, Cavaliers, Heat, Wizards, and Pistons. After all of these rumors, yesterday afternoon rumors began about the Mavericks trading Howard, along with Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton in exchange for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson.

The Mavericks are currently holding the third playoff spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards are well out of playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. They have one of the worst records in the East, only ahead of the lowly New Jersey Nets in the conference.