DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks acquired Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from Washington on Saturday, a seven-player deal that strengthens them for a playoff run and signals the breakup of a disappointing Wizards team.

The Mavericks dealt forwards Josh Howard and Drew Gooden and two other players to the Wizards. Dallas also got guard DeShawn Stevenson and cash considerations.

Dallas president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson called trading Howard, who had spent his entire career in Dallas, an "excruciating decision." But he couldn't pass up the chance to bring in Butler, a two-time All-Star.

It is a significant move for the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks (32-20), a deal announced just before the start of the Saturday night All-Star activities in their home arena.

Teams lose $400 million David Stern said the NBA is projecting leaguewide losses of about $400 million this season and has lost hundreds of millions in each previous year of the current collective bargaining agreement.

The commissioner said it has shown the players' association those numbers in hopes of demonstrating why the league feels it needs "significant changes" in the next deal.

The NBA's first proposal for a deal to replace the one that expires on July 1, 2011, was thrown out Friday after what players association director Billy Hunter called a "contentious" 90-minute meeting. Hunter said it called for harsh changes that would affect every player.

Bobcats to be sold Stern expects the Charlotte Bobcats to be sold within 60 days. He's just not ready to say if Michael Jordan will be the buyer.

Stern seemed certain that owner Bob Johnson will unload the money-losing franchise soon.

Jordan, a minority investor in the team, has run the Bobcats' basketball operations since 2006 and has the right of first refusal on any sale. But it's unclear if the Hall of Famer has an ownership group in place or will agree with Johnson on a price.

Thanks, but nyet thanks The New Jersey Nets are already the laughingstock of the NBA. Now they're getting ribbed by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, too.

Coach K refuted rumors that the Nets were interested in him coaching the beleaguered team. Louisville coach Rick Pitino has knocked down similar rumors.

Krzyzewski said New Jersey had not contacted him, then cracked a couple of one-liners at the expense of Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire and the Nets' prospective buyer.

"The guy's Russian, right?" Krzyzewski said. "You think he'd hire a Polish guy?"