NBA Insider Says Luka Doncic Trade to Lakers ‘Forced Him to Grow Up’ After Mavs Tenure

The blockbuster Feb. 1 trade that sent five-time All-NBA guard Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers “forced him to grow up,” per commentary provided by ESPN insider Tim MacMahon on Friday’s edition of NBA Today (2:25 mark).

“I think the slap in the face of the trade and the way it happened, the aftermath, that has been a big-time wakeup call for Luka. I think it has forced him to grow up. And look, there’s been flashes of commitment to conditioning for Luka in the past…this feels like something that is the turning of a corner. You know, can he maintain it through the course of the season? We’ll see. But you’re seeing maturation with Luka, the way he interacted and led a Slovenia team…

“He didn’t have to be the leader in Dallas. You know, Kyrie Irving was, you know, Jalen Brunson was the vocal guy.

“On that Slovenian national team, you know, in EuroBasket, they put the camera in the huddle, so you really saw it. But I think that was evidence of maturation. The way that he has worked with the front office of the Lakers in a partnership, recruited, these are things, this is different than it was in Dallas, and certainly the relationship with the Mavericks front office completely broke down. But even in the good times, this is a different approach by Luka. The media approach has been different.

“Now, when you’re talking about maturation, what’s the other thing you talked about? Ranting at the referees. You know what though? A guy who coached him in Dallas was telling me he thinks that’s also tied to conditioning. When there’s fatigue, there’s frustration, and when Luka’s frustrated, the refs are gonna hear about it. So maybe a better conditioned Luka, I’m not saying can totally cut that out, but can cut that down.”

The Mavericks reportedly had concerns about Dončić’s conditioning while he was with the Mavs, with Christian Clark, Mike Vorkunov and Fred Katz of The Athletic providing an eye-opening report last February on the matter.

“In November, Dončić missed five games with what the Mavericks announced as a right wrist sprain. That injury classification was not entirely true. In reality, Dončić was supposed to use time off to improve his conditioning, team sources said.”

The Athletic trio also added that “concern built, including with [general manager Nico] Harrison, that Dončić’s body would break down possibly sooner than anyone would suspect. It eventually reached a point where Harrison felt he had to move on from someone who could still one day be a league MVP.”

MacMahon and ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne also had the inside scoop on the Mavs’ concerns.

“The Mavericks’ frustrations with Dončić’s habits on and off the court were well known in league circles. Head coach Jason Kidd frequently expressed concerns publicly and directly with Dončić about his conditioning, weight fluctuations and constant arguing with officials.”

A team source told ESPN: “I mean, who gains weight during the season when you’re playing 40 minutes a game?”

Dončić has clearly spent this offseason working on his physical health, which Andrew Heffernan and Ebenezer Samuel of Men’s Health broke down in great detail.

“What the Luka haters have never seen is this: Dončić slogging through two-a-days in Croatia while sticking to a gluten-free, low-sugar diet that includes at least 250 grams of protein and one almond milk–fueled shake a day. They never knew that Dončić had quietly constructed a fitness team several years ago to help enhance his (very dangerous) natural gifts. And they never realized how much he committed to training and diet this summer.”

We’ll see how Dončić’s physical transformation plays out on the court soon enough, with the Lakers beginning the season on Oct. 21 at home against the Golden State Warriors.