The semantics of why Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks wanted out of the Luka Doncic business continue to puzzle the NBA community. His poor conditioning, which resulted in him weighing 270lbs, was reported to be a major factor. That still wouldn’t completely justify trading your top franchise player months after an NBA Finals run.
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Charles Barkley, on NBATV’s GameTime, spoke on the aforementioned claims. He knows more than just a ‘thing or two’ about being lambasted for being out of shape at a national level. He recalled his infamous story regarding Moses calling him out for being ‘fat’ on the 76ers.
“I wasn’t getting to play my first year in the NBA and Moses Malone pulled me aside. He told me I was fat and lazy and I cried, Greg. I ain’t even gonna lie. I cried but I was fat and lazy and Moses took me under his wing and I lost 50 lbs and became a Hall-of-Fame basketball player,” Barkley said.
Chuck went on to reveal there was no one in Doncic’s camp to get after him for being out of shape. “Nobody was capable of telling Luka that he needs to get in better shape.”
It’s understandable as to why the Mavs had concerns about Luka. After all, pushing 270lbs at his height of 1.98 metres while having a higher body fat percentage, doesn’t scream ‘longevity’. However, the way Nico and the front office have gone about all this, is incredibly poor.
Doncic was not informed even once about the severity of the situation. The Mavs have come across largely as unprofessional for this behavior, which is shocking for such a reputed team.
The notion ‘it’s a business’ has been tossed around but to do this to a player that meant everything to the organization and its fanbase, seems quite cutthroat to say the least.
Harrison also stated he wanted to get ahead of Luka potentially testing out free agency. He has a player option in the summer of 2026 and if he were to decline and field offers from other teams, they would lose out on Doncic for nothing.
An easy solution to this would be to simply pay him the $345 million supermax that he is worth. Granted, it is 35% of the cap space and that drives a wrench into roster flexibility. However, Luka is considered to be one of perhaps 5 players in the league who can be the unequivocal first option on a championship roster.
In the midst of questions regarding his conditioning and health, Doncic’s father reassured fans of his son’s impending arrival to NBA hardwood from the calf strain he suffered on Christmas Day. “Luka’s injury is basically gone. He’s already training. Everything is going as planned.”
Harrison is a man under tremendous pressure right now, with fans going as far as committing acts of vandalism outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas. On the other hand, Doncic has not raised an issue about this sudden trade and has graciously thanked the Mavs fans for their support.
Will this trade prove costly for the Mavs? Time will tell.
