The Mavericks’ shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers continues to be one of the most talked about subjects in all of sports, especially as more details have emerged about the circumstances that preceded the deal and the frustration Dallas had with his conditioning.
Around the NBA, the team’s issues with Doncic’s on and off-the-court habits were known, according to a new report from ESPN, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd had shared the concerns with Doncic directly, as well as publicly, regarding the star’s weight, arguing with the officials and his conditioning.
However, those conversations never led to any major changes in Doncic’s habits.
To try and force him to change his ways, the Mavericks fired several members of their staff that focused on health and conditioning.
They parted ways with director of player health and performance Casey Smith in August 2023 and fired strength coach Jeremy Holsopple and manual therapist Casey Spangler following last season.
All three had been close with Doncic, which only worked to upset the player and led him to assemble his own full-time team of coaches that he paid, according to ESPN.
“They get rid of everybody I like,” Donicic said in recent months per one ESPN source.
The assembled “body team” only created more frustration for the Mavericks with the organization feeling there was poor communication between Doncic’s people and the team’s staff.
The middle-of-the-night deal sent Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for a package that included Anthony Davis going to Dallas.
Reaction to the three-team trade has been swift since it happened with infuriated Mavericks fans protesting outside American Airlines Center on Sunday during the Mavs game in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.
Even fellow NBA executives seemed to be perplexed about the Mavericks’ reasoning for making the trade, including one Eastern Conference exec who told ESPN, “You better make sure his body is going to fall apart.”
In a news conference following the deal, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison defended the move.
“I understand why [everyone] would be shocked, initially, but I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future,” Harrison said on Sunday. “And that’s ultimately the goal and why we’re here. It’s one of those things where it’s my job to make the tough decisions that put our goals first and foremost.
“So I understand the magnitude of it, but the easiest thing for me to do is do nothing and everyone would praise me for doing nothing. But we really believe in it and time will tell if I’m right.”