ESPN: Mavs Frustrated with Luka's Diet, Discipline Before Anthony Davis, Lakers Trade

The Dallas Mavericks "had major concerns about moving forward" with star guard Luka Dončić that ultimately led to his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Shams Charania of ESPN reported the Mavs are sending Dončić to L.A. in return for a package that includes nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin offered context behind MacMahon's reporting, writing that "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.

"Though Doncic was relatively lean by his standards when he reported to camp, his weight ballooned to the high 260s early this season, sources said."

Stories about Dončić's conditioning aren't all that new.

MacMahon reported in December 2021 he had arrived at training camp weighing more than 260 pounds for two successive years, which was 30 pounds over his listed weight.

After Dallas was eliminated in the 2022 Western Conference Finals, head coach Jason Kidd challenged his team to be more focused in the offseason in pursuit of a championship. Some were left to wonder whether he was subtly referencing his best player with the comments:

The narrative persisted even after the Mavs reached the 2024 NBA Finals. ESPN's Jay Williams said Dončić not only needed to get better defensively but also had to "lose weight" to help get Dallas over the top.

Nobody knows the state of Dončić's conditioning and his commitment to staying in shape better than the Mavs. Perhaps that's getting overlooked with everyone almost unanimously agreeing they got fleeced by the Lakers.

It was hard to be too worried about the 25-year-old's physical state while he was performing at an MVP-type level. Through 22 appearances this season, he's averaging 28.1 points on 46.4 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals.

But Dončić could be on an arc similar to that of James Harden, another marquee star whose training habits were long called into question. Harden has noticeably fallen off into his 30s after he was the NBA's premier scorer for multiple seasons.

The more restrictive collective bargaining agreement in place forces teams to be more prudent with supermax contracts. If we're three or four years down the road and Dončić's game is slipping a bit, then it will have serious ramifications for his team.

Still, many will believe general manager Nico Harrison is taking a far bigger gamble by trading the five-time All-Star now, when he's indisputably an elite talent.