The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly acquired superstar guard Luka Doncic in a blockbuster trade, sending out Anthony Davis in a deal with the Dallas Mavericks that nobody saw coming. Doncic has been one of the best players in the NBA since he came in the league, winning Rookie of the Year while being an All-Star and First Team All-NBA selection from 2020-24.
Last season, Doncic even led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance since winning it all in 2011. Doncic has done all of this while only being 25 years old which further begged the question of why Dallas would trade their franchise cornerstone to the Lakers.
As it turns out, one major source of frustration with Doncic from the Mavericks had to do with his lack of conditioning. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic’s lack of discipline motivated the Mavericks to make the decision to deal him to the Lakers:
The Mavericks were motivated to move Doncic due to his constant conditioning concerns, sources told ESPN. There had been significant frustration within the organization about Doncic’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.
McMenamin would continue on, noting that Doncic’s weight rose greatly at the beginning of the season and the new Lakers guard used an extended injury absence in order to get his conditioning in order:
While Doncic was relatively svelte by his standards when he reported to camp, his weight ballooned to the high 260s early this season, sources said. He sat out five games in late November, when the Mavs listed him with a sprained right wrist, an extended absence to allow Doncic to focus on his conditioning. He had a similar early-season layoff in the 2022-23 season.
A lack of discipline when it comes to conditioning can certainly raise some concerns, but the talent of Doncic and the success he has had throughout his career would seem to make him worth the risk. And putting him next to a workaholic like LeBron James should only help to ease some of those concerns.
No matter the reason, the end result is Doncic is now a member of the Lakers and the landscape of the NBA has completely changed.
Lakers looking to make more trades after Luka Doncic deal
For as amazing as Luka Doncic is, the Lakers also lost a huge piece of their team in Anthony Davis who was the team’s best big man and defensive anchor. But the Lakers apparently aren’t done making moves just yet.
It was reported shortly after the Doncic deal that the whole league knows the Lakers are trying to make more moves after the blockbuster trade and the front office still has some assets to acquire another piece or two that could greatly improve the team.
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