The Los Angeles Lakers might have completed the deal of the decade this year by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. The reasoning revolved around his weight and conditioning issues despite being the highest-achieving 25-year-old since LeBron James had to have stung.
Legendary podcaster Bill Simmons has admitted that the Lakers’ hater in him is frustrated now that Doncic has all the motivation to lead LA to glory while learning from LeBron.
“I really think this is the greatest thing they ever could’ve done for [Luka Doncic]. Career-wise, and motivation-wise, this is the all-time ‘We did you a favor by doing this trade.’ I always thought he’d win a title someday. For me, he was the natural pick for anyone under 27 on who is going to win. But the one thing that was missing was that the guy was carrying too much weight.”
“He added all this weight because it made him harder to deal with. Made him more physical, added a post-up game. But some of the stuff we’re already reading about Luka in awe watching LeBron work out. LeBron’s like one of the most legendary workout guys in history. Maybe he finally understands that this is what it takes.”
“That’s the frustrating thing for me as a Lakers hater. This is just clearly the greatest thing.”
"I really think this is the greatest thing they ever could've done for [Luka Doncic]."
Will being traded lead to an even more motivated version of Luka Doncic? @BillSimmons and @bryancurtis discuss. pic.twitter.com/39Gh7rwKp1
— The Ringer (@ringer) February 11, 2025
The Mavericks have doubled even tripled down on their reasoning being about Doncic’s failings as an athlete. The team has publicly slammed his weight, work-ethic, and even believed that he could wind up being as injury-prone as Joel Embiid with his lifestyle.
That might have been 100% true on the Mavericks side, especially if Doncic was handed a $345 million contract extension. But now that the franchise has traded him away, made him ineligible for the supermax, and badmouthed him on his way out, he has all the motivation in the world to make them regret this decision.
Luka Doncic Will Lead The Lakers To Contention Again
The acquisition of Doncic has been compared to a ‘get-out-of-jail’ free card for the Lakers. Everyone was concerned about the franchise’s future after committing to an injury-prone Anthony Davis and 40-year-old LeBron James, but those concerns have vanished with this trade.
Worrying about Doncic’s work ethic is silly. If he really didn’t care about his health or the game, how did he manage to average 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists through his first seven seasons in the NBA? How did he carry the Mavericks to a Western Conference and NBA Finals in two out of three seasons? How did he become a five-time All-NBA selection in six seasons?
Doncic has been working hard since the age of 13 when he was discovered as a child prodigy. Now he’s been given more incentive to fine-tune his bad habits and become the best player he can be. Nothing is standing in his way except for himself.
Fans from all sides of fandom are realizing that this trade was a slam-dunk win for the Lakers. Haters of the team are angry that they have been given another superstar to build around for a decade with no opposition while fans of the Mavericks are protesting regularly after losing the player they thought would get the next franchise statue alongside Dirk Nowitzki.
While the Mavericks are now in disarray over their present and future as the team is more concerned about kicking fans out of arenas, the Lakers have one of the brightest futures in the NBA.
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