Donovan Mitchell is not letting the internet trash Jaylen Brown, and honestly, good for him. The Cleveland Cavaliers star spoke out this week about the narrative that Brown became a bust after his Finals MVP campaign, and Mitchell called it what it is: nonsense.
Brown was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers this week in a deal that also included Paul George and multiple first-round picks. The reaction online was brutal. People started calling Brown overpaid, overrated, and a locker room problem. Mitchell said none of that matches the guy he has trained with for years.
“That is my guy,” Mitchell said, according to sources close to the Cavaliers. He pushed back on the idea that Brown played his way out of Boston. Mitchell pointed to the injury issues Brown battled last season and the offensive scheme that limited his touches after Kristaps Porzingis got healthy.
Mitchell has a point. Brown averaged 22 points last year on decent efficiency. He was a first-team All-Defense candidate before the wrist issue slowed him down in March. That is not a bust. That is a top-30 player in the league who happens to have a max contract that Boston could no longer afford.
The Celtics moved Brown for cap reasons, plain and simple. They were staring down the second apron and needed to unload salary. Trading Brown for Paul George cleared cap and gave them a still-good scorer at a lower long-term cost. That is a business decision, not an indictment of Brown as a player.
Mitchell knows this. Every player in the league knows this. The apron rules have changed how teams operate, and even Finals MVPs are not safe if the money does not work.
The interesting subplot here is what Brown does in Philadelphia. He now teams up with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and the newly signed Anfernee Simons. On paper, that is one of the best top-fours in the league. Brown gets to be the wing scorer and secondary playmaker, not the guy asked to be the number-one option every night.
That fit could actually save Brown’s career narrative. Nobody remembers Kevin Durant getting traded from Brooklyn as a black mark on his legacy. If Brown wins in Philly, everyone will forget the Boston divorce.
Mitchell also took a shot at the media cycle in general. Players get built up and torn down within weeks now. One bad game and a guy is finished. One good playoff run and he is the second coming. Brown has been in that machine his whole career.
The Cavaliers star said the same thing has happened to him. Mitchell was labeled a loser after Utah could not get past the second round. Now he is a legitimate MVP candidate in Cleveland. Reputations flip fast in this league.
What does this mean for Cleveland? Nothing directly. But it tells you something about Mitchell as a leader. He is willing to defend a fellow star publicly when the easy move would be to stay quiet. That kind of loyalty travels well in NBA locker rooms.
Brown responded to Mitchell privately, per sources. The two are close friends and Team USA teammates. Expect Brown to come out motivated in Philly. He has a chip on his shoulder now, and he is joining a team that finally gives him a real supporting cast.
The trash talk online will continue. That is how the modern NBA cycle works. But Mitchell said what needed to be said. Jaylen Brown is still one of the best two-way wings in basketball, and Philadelphia just got the best version of him.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
