Jaylen Brown is the reason for the trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers, NBA insider says

The heads of NBA fans, analysts and media personalities alike are still spinning in the aftermath of the Dallas Mavericks and their trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers, one which many believe to be a massive oversight on the part of the Mavs, and in particular the team’s GM, Nico Harrison, who was said to have initiated the deal.

The 25-year-old Doncic, who played for seven straight seasons with the Mavs and averaged 28.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 3 three-pointers per game is believed to be just entering his prime; he was essentially traded for Lakers power forward Anthony Davis, who although a stellar player in his own right, is 31-years-old and more injury prone in the past decade. The Lakers also received Maxi Kleber and Markief Morris from the Mavs in exchange for Max Christie and a first-round draft 2029 draft pick but the general consensus is that the Mavericks massively overpaid on their end of the bargain.

Although Dallas Mavericks personnel have given their reasoning for the trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers, with Nico Harrison claiming that improved defense would give the Mavs a better shot of winning the title, NBA insider Marc Spears believes there’s an even more specific reason for what could very well be one of the most fascinating trades in NBA history: the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown.

“People talk about what he did offensively [but] that dude, [Jaylen Brown] is the reason why Luka got traded,” NBA insider Marc Spears said during a recent appearance on “The Cedric Maxwell Podcast.”

“What he did to Luka in the Finals — shutting him down, guarding him full court, making it unbearable offensively — led Dallas to questioning Luka as the leader of the team, and questioning whether he was in shape or not,” Spears continued.

Brown, who helped lead the Celtics to a 4-1 NBA series victory over the Mavs in the championship series, secured the NBA Finals MVP rights while averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.

According to Basketball Unite, in 32:04 minutes of being guarded by Brown in the Finals, Doncic was held to only 21 points on 9-22 shooting, going 2-8 from three-point land and committing five turnovers.

“I know Nico real well. He just doesn’t do stuff,” Spears added. “I think there’s more to that story that I think they are trying to be respectful and not going to the weeds. But now, we’ll see how things go with Luka in L.A. because things are also going to be much more magnified. They’re already starting to show more video about defensively with him and how teams target him and stuff like that.”

In his first game against his former team on Tuesday, Doncic recorded a triple double, recording 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists; alongside LeBron James’ 27 points (11-17 FGM) and 12 rebounds, the Lakers beat the Mavs 107-99. Anthony Davis did not play, as he was ruled out and hasn’t played for the Mavericks after suffering a left adductor strain in his first game playing for the team on February 8th.

Do you agree with Marc Spears that Jaylen Brown is the reason for the trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers? Or is there another reason that the Mavericks made the most interesting trade of the last 20 years in the NBA? Let us know in the comments.