The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie continues to spark speculation. NBA insider Marc Spears recently suggested on The Cedric Maxwell Podcast that Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown played a major role in Dallas moving on from their franchise player.
“People talk about what he did offensively, [but] that dude, he is the reason why Luka got traded,” Spears said, referring to Brown’s performance in last season’s NBA Finals.
Brown played a key role in leading the Celtics to a five-game series victory over the Mavericks, securing Finals MVP honors. Spears pointed to Brown’s defensive intensity against Doncic as a significant factor in Dallas’ decision-making process.
“He shut him down in the finals. What he did to Luka in the finals, shutting him down, guarding him full court, making it unbearable offensively… led Dallas to start questioning Luka as the leader of this team, questioning whether he was in shape or not,” Spears continued.
Jaylen Brown’s defense in the NBA Finals raised Mavericks’ concerns about Luka Doncic
Brown’s defensive efforts against Doncic appeared to raise concerns within the Mavericks organization. While Doncic remained one of the league’s top offensive players, his conditioning and leadership reportedly came into question following the Finals loss.
Spears also addressed the mindset of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, suggesting that Dallas’ front office did not make the trade lightly.
“I know Nico real well – he doesn’t just do stuff. I think there’s more to that story that they’re trying to be respectful and not go into the weeds,” Spears said.
The trade has now shifted the trajectory of both teams. Dallas, with Davis and Kyrie Irving leading the way, remains competitive in the Western Conference playoff race, while the Lakers have worked to integrate Doncic into their system alongside LeBron James.
Doncic finds rhythm with Lakers ahead of his first matchup against former team
Doncic has played four games with Los Angeles, averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. After missing two months with a calf strain, he delivered his best performance as a Laker in Saturday’s 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets, finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and a block.
The Lakers (34-21) are currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference, sitting 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for second place. Doncic is set to face the Mavericks (31-27) for the first time since the trade when the teams meet on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
With speculation continuing about the true reasons behind Dallas’ decision to move on from Doncic, his performance in Los Angeles will be under close scrutiny. As Spears noted, “But now we’ll see how things go with Luka in LA, things will be much more magnified.”
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