It had to have been a tough year for Luka Doncic. After carrying the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season, the team turned on him in a big way, sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most surprising trades in NBA history.
Doncic was criticized by the Mavericks when he left, with front office personnel suggesting that he was out of shape, had terrible tendencies on defense, and much more.
While the Lakers are happy to have him, some believe there’s a scenario where that could become an issue for them, too. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes recently explored the potential of the team trading him, adding that while people are calling him an untouchable, there’s a scenario where every player in the league could be available, and that was evident when the Mavericks traded him.
“Luka Doncic was traded a little less than four months ago, so maybe it seems strange to slap an ‘untouchable’ label on him,” Hughes wrote. Maybe we need to specify that he’s untouchable if anyone other than Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison is involved in the decision.
“The more distance we get from one of the most shocking trades in recent history, well…the more shocking it seems. In Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers have a bridge to their post-LeBron James era. He’ll be the superstar cornerstone upon which the franchise’s next decade is built. “The only way that’ll change is if Harrison’s justification for moving Doncic this past February—poor conditioning and shoddy defense—reaches a point where Los Angeles winds up with the same concerns.”
Does Doncic Understand the Importance of His Conditioning?
There’s no debate that Doncic has to improve for the Los Angeles Lakers. For the Lakers to be the team they’re looking to be, Doncic needs to be able to be on the court every night, well-conditioned, and playing defense at an average level.
And according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, he understands that. McMenamin added that the Lakers’ superstar is starting to adopt a different routine, hoping to stay on the court and in good shape.
“It’s a small example of Dončić seeking comfort and routine in a season void of either. But it was a response to the whispers about him coming out of the trade—a commitment to squeezing in extra conditioning after joining the Lakers with a strained left calf that sidelined him for five-and-a-half weeks, sources told ESPN.
“His game-day routine starts at 9 a.m. with bodywork, shots, weightlifting and a cold tub plunge, sources said. Maintaining his pregame routine, fun though it is, was a sign, one source said, of Dončić recognizing the sooner he got back to peak form with his new team, the sooner the Lakers could reach their full potential,” he wrote.
Would the Lakers Really Cut Ties With Doncic?
Barring anything drastic happening over the next year or so, there’s no reason to think that the Los Angeles Lakers could move on from Doncic. Even if his conditioning is an issue, which the Dallas Mavericks made it seem, he still averaged 28.2 points for the Lakers and shot 37.9% from 3-point range.
He’s as elite as they get around the NBA, and a perennial MVP candidate each season.
