The Boston Celtics are five days away from starting their playoff run and will be hoping their All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can lead them to glory.
Yet, it would appear Dallas Mavericks fans are hoping to see the Celtics fail, as they have begun speculating about a potential Luka Doncic departure and have apparently pinpointed Brown as their preferred replacement.
A quick Twitter search will instantly provide you with numerous fans sharing their thoughts on potentially adding Boston’s All-Star wing in return for a disgruntled Doncic, although that isn’t likely to happen before the summer of 2024.
“Luka doncic for jaylen brown might b the trade,” Twitter user @Grim_linz wrote on April 8.
“His best move is to trade Luka Doncic to Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown & Marcus Smart plus picks and pieces. Then 🔥 Jason Kidd hire Ime Udoka. Championship 🏆 in the near future, incoming 📨 💣🚀. Maybe 🤔 get Boston 2 take on contracts that r not working on Maverick’s roster,” @Rakhunuhepp35 wrote.
@Mavs_FFL Kidd fired, Kyrie signing elsewhere, Doncic sign and traded to the Celtics for Jaylen Brown… what else?
Interestingly, some Celtics fans seem to be ok with potentially trading away one of their star wings if it means landing Doncic in return.
i love Jaylen Brown and hope him and Tatum play their whole careers in Boston, but the one player i would sacrifice him for is Doncic
“I love Jaylen Brown, but if he was definitely wanting out it would be dope to try to get Doncic,” @ConfusedWack Tweeted on April 8.
Brown is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024, so if any trade were to occur, Boston would likely need to sign him to a contract extension before sitting down at the negotiating table.
Celtics Could Trade Jaylen Brown For Luka Doncic
If the #Celtics get bounced in the playoffs this year, get ready for the Jaylen Brown for Luka Doncic rumors to flare up.
According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, the Celtics could potentially be willing to discuss a deal for Luka Doncic that is centered around Brown, with a precedent already being in place following failed discussions for Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal over the last few years.
“Boston would have to get Brown signed to an extension this offseason (which is suddenly possible thanks to the new CBA), but if he’s under contract and the Celtics haven’t won a championship in either 2023 or 2024, the idea of exploring a Brown and picks for Doncic swap makes plenty of sense,” Quinn wrote. “Doncic and Jayson Tatum are an ideal offensive pair. Doncic would cover up Tatum’s playmaking deficiency while Tatum would become a significantly more efficient scorer with defenses focused on a teammate.”
Brown has been performing like an All-NBA wing this season, averaging 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 33.5% from deep.
Brad Stevens Issues Statement on Jaylen Brown
For Brown, making an All-NBA team could have a significant impact on his ability to maximize his earnings on his next contract, as he would become eligible for a supermax deal with the Celtics.
During an April 9 press conference, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, threw his backing behind both Brown and Tatum, stating that both stars deserved to make an All-NBA team.
“He has really played his best basketball in the last couple of months and he was an obvious all-star right out of the gate,” Stevens said. “I think he’s doing a great job of, obviously scoring the ball and scoring when we need it, but we ask him to do a lot defensively, and we ask him, along with Jayson, to read a lot of pretty intense coverages with extra bodies flying at him, with extra bodies shifted over to him. We’re unique, because we have those two guys, amazing, young players, and they really accentuate our role players, and then we have a group of role players who really accentuate them. They deserve to be on that (All-NBA) team.”
The Celtics will play their first playoff game of 2024 on Saturday, April 15, but will need to wait until later this week to find out who their opponent shall be, with the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks set to do battle in the play-in tournament.
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Mavericks Fans Pinpoint Celtics Jaylen Brown as Luka Doncic Replacement