Strange New Details Emerging About Luka Doncic After Trade To Los Angeles Lakers

Many a – mind was blown by the downright weird trade that sent Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. It had people questioning the source, the sanity of those involved, and even the nature of observable reality.

But, days later, it is true. But like most things, truth is stranger than fiction. And this one keeps getting strangers as more layers are peeled back from the onion.

From the Mavericks’ perspective, it has become obvious that they had grown weary of the 25-year-olds lack of professionalism on and off the court. Time will only tell whether or not that will come back to bite the Lakers. But based on the latest reporting, the Mavs’ concerns were a real reason they traded Doncic for pennies on the dollar.

Mavericks Faked An Injury To Provide Luka Doncic Opportunity To Drop Weight

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic, LeBron James
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A recent in-depth report by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon shed light on underlying factors that may have contributed to the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to trade Dončić. The report revealed that Dončić’s conditioning and off-court habits had become a source of concern for the Mavericks organization.

According to the report, Dončić’s weight fluctuated throughout the season, often exceeding the team’s preferred range of 245 pounds but he frequently played in the 250-255 range or higher. In fact, his 11-day absence in November due to a right wrist sprain was to give him time to shed weight, since he was in the high 260s — one team source commenting, “I mean, who gains weight during the season when you’re playing 40 minutes a game?”

Furthermore, the report highlighted the Mavericks’ concerns regarding Dončić’s personal “body team,” a group of professionals – including Slovenian national team strength coach Anže Maček, physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo, and nutritionist Lucia Almendros from Real Madrid.

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Luka Doncic’s Lacked Effort and Professionalism On and Off the Court

This has now been corroborated by more reporting. Former Mavericks senior basketball analyst Jeremias Engelmann recently described why he urged the team to move on from Doncic for two years. His big concerns were four-fold;

  • the laissez-faire approach to everything on defense;
  • falling asleep in critical defensive situations;
  • a lack of off-ball movement on offense;
  • the tendency to take exciting but ill-advised shots, especially in critical end-game situations.

Engelmann goes on to describe not only those problems on the court but also that pesky off-the-court lack of self-control, what Engelmann describes as a ‘lack of professionalism’

“As noted, there was some indication that Dončić, on the court, didn’t have the internal fire to win every game, every possession. Off the court, Dončić likewise caused reason for doubt: How much was he willing to commit to winning? He rarely appeared to be in shape, and his dietary choices became a constant topic of discussion around the team.”