The Dallas Mavericks are bringing Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to town in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross.

Mavs' fans, be happy that the Sacremento's Kevin Martin trade didn't go through.

Martin is one of the better scorers in the league but is shaky at best on the defensive side of the ball and defense seems to be the Mavericks Achilles heel over the past month.

It wasn't very clear who else the Mavs would be dealing in addition to Howard for Martin but with the teams new deal bringing the Wizard's Brendan Haywood to town, it's a big step in the right direction for Dallas.

Now the Mavs have a legitimate seven footer at the center position instead of Gooden.

Haywood is a force on the defensive side of the ball averaging two blocks per game, which ranks among the leagues best.

The Mavs will have to dish out an extra $1.5 million in the Hawyood-Gooden trade but it is easily justified considering the teams defensive struggles and current center, Erick Dampier's knee troubles.

This will allow the Mavs to have a solid center for the remainder of the season until Dampier's nauseating $12.1 million per year contract can be dumped this summer.

The Wizards Gilbert Arenas did the Mavs a giant favor after getting suspended for the season for stupidly bringing a gun into the locker room and single handedly killing the Wizards season.

The Wizards wouldn't have entertained this trade had it not been for 'Agent Zero's' wreckless behavior.

Butler on the other hand, averages just shy of 17 points and seven rebounds per game and comes to Dallas for a million less than Howards contract at $9.7 million.

On the flip side, a change in scenery may be good for Howard also, as he clearly despised the Dallas media, often sprinting out of the locker room to avoid speaking after games. There was speculation that Howard was fed up with Rick Carlisle's style of coaching, which  became a popular theme in the locker room in recent weeks.

Howard was never able to rebound from nagging ankle injuries coupled with surgery and on several occasions, being prematurely brought back onto the cout by the Mavericks.

Having a fresh start in Washington will be benificial for Howard in the long term.

The same can be said for Singleton who will be a free agent at the end of the season.  He'll play more minutes with the Wizards and can showcase what he is capable of bringing to the table.

There are still players in the Mavs locker room that have reportedly began to tune Carlisle out and if the addition of Butler and Haywood don't turn the tide for the Mavericks, Carlisle could be the next big change for Dallas.