NBA Insider Blames Celtics' Jaylen Brown For Luka Doncic Trade

The Boston Celtics easily defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals last year, claiming their 18th title in franchise history. The win over Dallas cemented Boston as the single-most winning franchise in NBA history, breaking a tie with the rival Los Angeles Lakers.

But even the Celtics couldn't have seen what the win in the NBA Finals would have done to the Mavericks. Dallas has been in the news over the past month for trading superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

Many have wondered why the Mavericks would do such a thing, especially coming off a loss in the NBA Finals. But NBA insider Marc Spears blames it entirely on the play from Celtics star Jaylen Brown on Doncic in the series.

“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.”

Marc Spears says Jaylen Brown is the reason the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic:

“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… pic.twitter.com/YHG0UnC8Gx
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 25, 2025

Brown did make life very tough on Doncic during the NBA Finals but Dallas must have felt a certain way about their star beforehand. Even with Brown playing solid defense on Doncic, the star guard averaged 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists over the five-game series.

The stardom of Doncic was real in the NBA Finals but the rest of his team didn't really show up. Co-star Kyrie Irving struggled shooting from the field and it opened a door for the Celtics to easily take the series win.

Blaming Doncic for the loss in the NBA Finals is unfair to him, even if he wasn't his full normal self. But he was one of the few Dallas players who did show up against the Celtics.

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Nonetheless, Boston would likely have preferred that Doncic didn't end up in Los Angeles. With the long rivalry that the two sides have had, the Celtics could end up seeing him in the NBA Finals once again.

It would be a welcomed sight for all basketball fans as the rivalry does need another spark to help reignite it fully.

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.