Earlier this month, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the basket world and sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade. Before the trade, Doncic had spent parts of seven seasons in Dallas. As a Maverick, the Slovenian native was a five-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection, and a one-time scoring champion. He was also a perennial MVP candidate and led the Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance last year. However, according to NBA writer Marc Spears, Doncic’s Finals performance against the Boston Celtics in 2024 may have led to his departure from Dallas.
Recently, Spears spoke about last year’s NBA Finals. According to Spears, Celtics star Jaylen Brown‘s performance against Doncic led to Dallas having doubts about his conditioning. This ultimately led to the Mavericks deciding to trade him away.
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 would go on to win NBA Finals MVP in large part for his contributions on both sides of the ball.
Jaylen Brown locking up Luka Doncic in the Finals was SPECIAL:
– 32:04 matchup minutes
– Held Luka to 9/22 FG and 2/8 3FG
– Forced 5 turnoversNot many better than 7 on defense.
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) August 30, 2024
NBA Expert Explains How Jaylen Brown Led to Luka Doncic Trade
Jaylen Brown Was Not the Only Reason the Mavericks Traded Luka Doncic
Spears made one thing clear in his conversation with Celtics great Cedric Maxwell (YouTube link)–there were multiple reasons the Mavericks shipped Luka out to Los Angeles.
“I know Nico real well. He just doesn’t do stuff. 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,” added Spears.
Regardless of the reasons, this is a bold move nonetheless. Doncic is one of the best players in the league and is still just 26 years old. Anthony Davis and Max Christie are good additions to the Mavericks. However, it will prove difficult for them to replace Doncic’s impact.
Only time will tell if this trade works out for Dallas. But as it stands, most fans remain in shock and probably will for a long time.
The Last Word
In a must-see game, Doncic will take on his former team tonight. This is the first time since the trade the Mavericks and Lakers go head-to-head. While Davis remains out due to a groin injury, this will be an exciting game regardless. After tonight, both teams will face off just one more time in Dallas on April 9.
© Peter Casey-Imagn Images
