The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic in ice-cold fashion, reportedly getting fed up with his weight and conditioning issues while placing the blame on his poor defense in their press conference.
With his fitness seeming to be the primary reason everyone’s accepted, Doncic directly addressed those concerns in his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“It’s a motive. I know it’s not true. But it’s a motive. I came here, one of the biggest clubs in the history of sports, so it’s a big motive for a long run here.”
Everyone who has followed Luka Doncic’s career knows that there’s a very small list of complaints anyone could have about him.
The leading complaint has always been his defensive ability with many others consistently being concerned over his weight and conditioning. The Mavs have attributed both to be the leading reasons behind the decision to move him, also mentioning that he doesn’t add to the team’s culture.
If the only thing stopping Doncic from unleashing his best version on the NBA was fitness, the Mavericks should be worried. He averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists last season and took the Mavericks to the Finals while struggling with these major concerns. Now that he has an incentive to prove everyone wrong, what is the ceiling on what he can achieve?
The Mavericks might have involuntarily created a monster by forcing Doncic to lock in, but for a Conference rival in a trade which can only age badly for Dallas unless Anthony Davis leads them to a championship.
Luka Doncic Is Taking The High Road
The way the Mavericks treated Doncic on his way out was very harsh. With GM Nico Harrison trading him out of the blue after years of microaggressions built up, everyone would understand if Doncic completely trashed the Mavericks in his press conference. The 25-year-old Slovenian superstar chose not to do that, thanking his teammates, coaches, and fans in Dallas instead.
“I’m just excited to be here and start this new journey. Obviously, at some point, I knew this was going to happen. But I would say I always take the high road. I had my amazing moments in Dallas with all my teammates, coaches, and most importantly the fans. They always supported me and it was an amazing journey.”
You can see that he didn’t thank the front office, so it’s clear there are frustrations there that will linger for years. The Mavericks cost Doncic almost $120 million by trading him away and making him ineligible for a supermax contract. In addition, Doncic had just bought a home in Dallas to settle down with his young family.
At least he has the ocean beside him again in Los Angeles, where he can script a fresh new chapter, one which might be the best thing for his legacy if he delivers on his potential.
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