5-time Bulls, Lakers champion gives bold Luka Doncic, Mavericks take

The Luka Doncic trade remains an abominable decision by the Dallas Mavericks. The Los Angeles Lakers were gifted a five-time First Team All-NBA selection at just 25 years old, all because general manager Nico Harrison seemed to have some kind of vendetta against him.

Ever since the trade, news stories of Doncic being overweight, out of shape, and not taking his conditioning seriously started to circulate. They seemed very overblown, as Doncic entered the 2023-24 season in fantastic shape and had the best season of his career. But injuries near the end of the season and in the playoffs caught up to him, as did playing in the Olympic qualifiers, and he wasn't able to recover properly heading into the season.

However, five-time champion Ron Harper, who won three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Los Angeles Lakers, believed he'd grown complacent in Dallas.

"You saw Luka body and non workouts in Dallas so you can make your own opinion," Harper posted on X. "He got comfortable in Dallas."

Doncic may have gotten comfortable, but to say he wasn't working out is... incorrect. He had just built a new team around him responsible for taking better care of his body, but Nico Harrison hired an incompetent training staff, including a strength coach who wasn't qualified to hold the position he held. And, as we're seeing this offseason, Doncic is capable of getting in the right shape.

Luka Doncic's Body Transformation

Doncic recently graced the cover of Men's Health magazine, showing off his new form. He has clearly slimmed down, though we likely won't ever know exactly how much. Reports indicated that he ballooned over 270 pounds last year, but his listed weight was always in the 230s. But he looks to be in the best shape of his career, something he likely would've tried to do this offseason anyway, even if the Mavericks didn't kick him on the way out the door.

Doncic is also eligible for a contract extension starting on Saturday, and it's been rumored that he intends to sign that extension. He'd be better off signing a three-year deal on whatever his next contract is, because then he could recoup a lot of the money the Mavericks cost him by trading him and not signing him to the superma