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The reasons that the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade All-Star forward Luka Doncic are beginning to come to light, with reports indicating his condition and social habits played a factor in the Mavs’ decision to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
While questions about Luka Doncic’s weight and conditioning have been persistent since he entered the NBA in 2018, the Mavericks have reportedly become so concerned over his dietary and health habits that they predict he’s heading towards “catastrophe” in the next five years.
A new report from The Athletic also specifically notes the Mavericks’ issues with smoking hookah tobacco and drinking beer, which are habits he’s had since he was a star at Real Madrid at 19-year-olds and drafted into the NBA.
“The people who witnessed Dončić’s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old’s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls,” The Athletic reported the morning after Doncic took on the Mavs as a member of the Lakers for the first time.
“They mention the social habits — such as a taste for beer and hookah — which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the NBA Draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so.”
Doncic certainly had a point to prove on Tuesday night, as he was doing push-ups on the floor in the pregame warm-ups. In the Lakers’ 107-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic put up a triple-double as he posted 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists and leered over to the Mavericks’ bench a handful of times.
In his first five games with the Los Angeles Lakers (they are 7-2 since the trade happened as of February 26), Doncic has averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. The Lakers are currently thr #4 seed in the Western Conference have the sixth best betting odds to win the NBA title behind the Celtics, Thunder, Cavalivers, Nuggets, and Knicks.