Luka Doncic’s ongoing health and weight problems may have been what tilted the scales for the Mavericks
In a trade that sees Anthony Davis head in the opposite direction, Doncic is to leave the Dallas Mavericks for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Dallas Mavericks’ sensational decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers is reported to have been influenced by the Texas franchise’s concerns over the All-Star guard’s physical shape.
Luka to link up with LeBron in LA
In a blockbuster deal revealed by well-connected NBA journalist Shams Charania, Doncic is set to team up with veteran superstar LeBron James in Los Angeles, with fellow All-Star Anthony Davis moving in the opposite direction.
The agreement also sees Doncic’s Dallas team-mates Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris head to the Lakers, while LA has given the Mavericks Max Christie and its first-round Draft pick in 2029.
Check out full details of the Doncic trade, which also involves the Utah Jazz, in AS USA’s initial report on the deal.
Mavs GM makes big decision amid Doncic conditioning concerns
Doncic, who has so far spent his entire NBA career with the Mavericks, is set to move to California after Dallas’s general manager, Nico Harrison, made what the league insider Marc Stein has described as “the call to abruptly change the direction of the franchise”.
The Mavericks and Luka Doncic, until tonight, were heading toward a five-year contract extension in July worth a record $345 million.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 2, 2025
Dallas GM Nico Harrison made the call to abruptly change the direction of the franchise with one of the most stunning trades in league history. https://t.co/mQcNlH6zSR
With Doncic eligible for a supermax extension at the Mavericks, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has noted that the team was worried about the “looming commitment” of a mooted five-year, $345 million deal, amid “major concerns” about the 25-year-old’s fitness issues.
The Mavericks are reported to have felt that Doncic has contributed to his injury problems by not being sufficiently disciplined when it comes to diet and conditioning.
As he continues to recover from a calf issue, the former Real Madrid player has made only 22 appearances so far in the 2024/25 regular season, having last appeared for Dallas in a 105-99 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves back on Christmas Day.
Doncic is expected to return to the court later this month.
The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025
Doncic warned about weight gain
The Mavericks had warned Doncic about his weight during his time at American Airlines Center. The Athletic’s Tim Cato reported on one such admonition in mid-2023, for example.
What’s more, ESPN’s David McMenamin notes that the player’s weight rose to “the high 260s” earlier this season, leading him to miss a sequence of Dallas games as he sought to get himself into trimmer shape. “He had a similar early-season layoff in the 2022-23 season,” McMenamin adds.
Doncic to miss out on supermax deal at Lakers
At the Lakers, Doncic will no longer be eligible for a supermax extension to his current five-year deal, which he signed in 2022.
As per the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, players can only qualify for a supermax contract if they remain at the franchise where they penned their first contract in the North American basketball league, unless they were traded to their present team in the first four years of their career.
Doncic was in his seventh season in Dallas, having joined the Mavericks immediately after he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2018 Draft.
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