I hope this report is Miami-centric, because this is definitely not the package we had in mind when considering Juan Carlos Navarro trade opportunities.
According to the Miami Herald, the Wizards are considering trading Navarro to Miami just for draft picks.
It would definitely be nice to trade Navarro -- a second-round pick -- for at least one additional first round pick, especially because it feels like Miami is on the downswing. But such a trade would not do anything to help the Wizards this year, and with Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison hitting the open market next offseason, the present has to be a priority over the future. Dumping Navarro for draft picks eliminates our chance to deal one of our centers or to make something out of Antonio Daniels.
The good news is that the Wizards don't seem quite as enthusiastic for future draft picks as the Heat, but it appears Miami's not willing to offer much real value in return for Navarro and a bad contract.
To execute such a deal, the Heat would have to send a player or players due similar salaries for at least next season, such as Williams, Antoine Walker or Udonis Haslem. It's unclear if the Wizards are interested in either Williams or Walker, and the Heat has been reluctant to offer Haslem in the deal.
I can confidently say that Ernie doesn't want Walker or Williams. I don't see how either fits anywhere. Williams would barely play behind Arenas, and Walker would be stuck behind Jamison and Butler. Perhaps Walker might be beneficial as an off-the-bench scoring threat that plays 20-25 minutes per game, but he would block promising youngsters like Blatche (if he's re-signed), Dominic McGuire, and Oleksey Pecherov. His contract is also atrocious, and it lasts until 2011, one year longer than Thomas. There's simply no benefit to either of those guys.
If I were Ernie, I'd insist Miami find a third team that can give us additional value. Otherwise, trading Navarro simply for future draft picks is a waste of an asset.