Injuries, as you no doubt already know, are the first thing that has to be brought up when discussing the Portland Trail Blazers. They’re the reason that this team couldn’t throw itself into the ring amongst the championship hopefuls this season.

And, moving forward, they’ll likely be the reason why the Blazers don’t contend from here on out. Because as freak as some of these maladies are, rehab, and approximations (as opposed to full restorations) have to be taken into account.

I recommend reading the whole thing. It might not all be things you’ll enjoy hearing, but I’d be surprised if you disagreed with much. This team is probably going to come down to health, Oden and Aldridge. That’s just the way it is, and I think most people have accepted it.

Marc Stein (via Twitter):

Mavs and Wizards have completed their trade call with the league office. Deal will be announced later tonight. Seven-player swap in the end

DAL gets Butler, Haywood and Stevenson as was always the case once teams agreed Friday. WASH gets Josh Howard, Gooden, Q. Ross and Singleton

Marc Spears (via Twitter):

Washington trade of Butler, Haywood and Stevenson to Dallas for Howard, Gooden, Ross and Singleton recently became official, source tells Y!

Considering the Wizards were reported to be wanting Batum and Rudy just for Haywood, it was probably unrealistic Portland would have gotten a good price considering the talent in Howard that Washington got in return. Dallas obviously wins on the talent side of the deal, but this seems like it must be the first half of a move to get rid of Antawn Jamison as well, clear contracts and start all over.

UPDATE: Here’s the full story from Stein. And Kelly Dwyer’s reaction over at Ball Don’t Lie:

Butler can play. He’s had a rough 2009-10, getting used to Flip Saunders’ exacting offense, but the former Heat, Laker, and Wizard has long shown all-around gifts that can fit in alongside dominant players, and dominant personalities. Though his production has declined this season and he turns 30 a month from today, the hope is that Butler can be a clear upgrade from Josh Howard, who was struggling through a decisively subpar season this year.

There’s a bigger element to this trade, however, both in literal and figurative terms. Brendan Haywood has long been criticized for inconsistent play, but at 7-feet tall and in the prime of his career, Haywood is still a starting-quality center that can really turn these Mavericks around. Pared with an all-world playmaker in Jason Kidd, I think you’ll see Haywood surprise a lot of people.

An all-around stopper on a middling defensive team, Webster is a beast on that end.

My support of Martell is no secret, but I’m not sure he’s even been a Top 10 defender much less in the first three. There really aren’t any good enough metrics to quantify defense, but Martell’s defensive rating of 105 doesn’t put him anywhere near the Top 20 in the NBA, though Artest comes in with a rating of 103 himself. What do you think, has Webster been one of the very best defenders this season?