Luka Doncic finally grants Nico Harrison his wish way too late if new rumors are true

The Dallas Mavericks are about to begin a new era when Cooper Flagg is drafted as the undisputed No. 1 overall pick later today in New York City. Since Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs have been looking for some sort of prayer after watching most of their players go down to injury all season long, and Flagg looks like he will be everything they need and more.

Doncic was criticized by the organization for his habits off the court, like his habit of smoking hookah and drinking beer. Now, one report is revealing that Doncic is dedicating his game to a way that Nico Harrison seemingly never thought he would while playing in Dallas. Doncic is working on getting himself into peak physical shape for the EuroBasket competition later this summer, and of course, next season.

If true, this angers Mavs fans by admitting that the Mavs organization was correct about Doncic's physical concerns. It's already been a frustrating 2025 for Doncic in the midst of being injured and getting traded out of the blue. This should also anger fans because it only took being traded to the Lakers for the Slovenian superstar to finally work as hard as he can on his shape.

Doncic is finally taking his conditioning seriously like Harrison wanted

If only Doncic had been working this hard on his conditioning just months before being traded, maybe the trade at the 11th hour would've never happened. Dan Woike of The Athletic paints a vivid picture that will ache the heart of every Mavs fan out there when it comes to how Doncic is tackling the offseason physically.

“Dončić has been incredibly committed to his conditioning this offseason. He’s dropped significant weight and is working on strict diet and cardio training, according to a source with knowledge of the plan," Woike said. "In a shift from his normal offseason, he spent a month away from on-court work to focus more on his body."

The growth for Doncic upping his game to even greater heights has already been in the works this summer. Those around Doncic have started to see Doncic completely change his mindset about his conditioning, as Harrison's heartless (leaked) comments about Doncic after the trade lit a fire underneath him to prove Harrison wrong.

Who knows if something else could've been done to keep Doncic in Dallas.

It seemed like the organization grew tired of his habits on the court as well, such as constant complaining to the referees, which would lead him to not get back on defense. At one point, Doncic was pushing 270 pounds at one point, 20 pounds heavier than LeBron James, and James' body is built like a freight train.

This report, if true, reveals that Harrison wasn't all the way wrong about Doncic's conditioning. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean he needed to give up on Doncic entirely, but with the Mavs about to get Flagg to potentially be the next face of the NBA, fans could not be more pumped about an 18-year-old star who's got the tools to become a superstar very quickly.

Harrison's wish of Doncic getting into better playing shape and taking his body seriously came true, it was just over a year late. There were several other factors that ultimately led Harrison to trade Doncic, and while he was wrong about maany of these reasons, it's clear that Doncic's conditioning needed to be better.

Doncic also seems to know that, but this realization came after Harrison traded him to the Lakers.