Luka Doncic is finally making the key transformation Nico begged for in Dallas

When Luka Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers this past trade deadline, Nico Harrison had one major complaint about the Slovenian superstar. Harrison believed Doncic did not take his physical fitness seriously.

Doncic has a history of showing up to training camp out of shape, leading to questionable defensive effort and limiting Doncic's upside. While Doncic cared deeply about winning and the Mavericks organization, it is true that Doncic could have prepared himself better in some offseasons.

Even when out of shape, Doncic was one of the best players in the NBA. While his defense suffered, his offensive production has remained consistent regardless of his conditioning level. When in shape, Doncic is an unstoppable force with no weaknesses. Doncic used the 2023 offseason to improve his fitness. The following season, he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. If this higher standard of fitness could be maintained, the Mavericks would have been perennial title contenders.

Luka Doncic is finally taking his conditioning seriously for Lakers

It appears the trade to the Lakers was the motivation Doncic needed to take his conditioning seriously. Images from his camp have indicated that Doncic has decided to use this offseason to return to peak form. He is in the gym, eating healthy, and looks slimmer than he has in recent memory. Sources close to Doncic suggest that he has changed his mindset about conditioning and is "starting anew."

The Mavs had many conversations with Luka about his conditioning. Some years, such as in the offseason before the 2023-24 season, Doncic took the team's advice and used the offseason to return to peak shape. In other years, such as his final Mavericks season, Doncic was over the weight that the Mavericks thought he should be playing at. Reports indicate that his absence due to a wrist injury last season was extended to allow Doncic time to shed weight.

Harrison repeatedly attacked Doncic's conditioning after the trade to justify his decision behind closed doors. These comments, paired with Lakers' coach JJ Redick's comments after being eliminated in this year's playoffs, have provided the fuel Doncic needed to improve his conditioning going forward.

While Harrison's conditioning concerns were real, many fans thought the move was premature. Doncic can always be inspired to take his conditioning seriously, however, the Mavs cannot always find a player of Doncic's caliber. Fortunately, the Mavericks struck gold in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and were gifted a generational talent, Cooper Flagg, to replace Doncic.

We will never know if there was anything the Mavericks could have done to elicit this change from Doncic without trading him. The emotional distress Doncic experienced after being traded is the type of event that tends to fuel intrinsic motivation and personal change. Could the Mavs have simply threatened a trade and inspired the ambition Doncic is currently displaying?