"He had ballooned into high 260s" - NBA insider reveals Mavericks' quiet issues with Luka Doncic that fueled Anthony Davis trade

Luka Doncic will have a fresh restart to his career with the LA Lakers. After almost seven seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, the front office traded him for big man Anthony Davis over the weekend. According to reports, however, Doncic's lack of responsibility regarding conditioning pushed the organization to ship the star to Los Angeles.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon reported on Monday that Doncic's weight issue frustrated officials with the team. According to the NBA Insiders, the five-time All-Star was given an 11-day absence in November to allow him to shed weight. However, the opposite happened, and his leave caused him to gain more weight.

“This season, he missed 27 games, including the past six weeks since straining his left calf for the fourth time in three years,” Shelburne and MacMahon reported. “He gained weight while he was out, which frustrated team officials, sources said.

“The primary reasoning for an 11-day absence in late November, officially attributed to a right wrist sprain, was to provide Dončić time to shed weight after he had ballooned into the high 260s.”

The insiders reported that Doncic had a similar situation in December 2021.

In a weighing last month, the star guard was listed at 255 pounds. Shelburne and MacMahon reported that Doncic's weight averages around 250-255. However, the organization sees that his ideal weight is around 245 pounds. With that weight, the franchise believes the 6-foot-6 guard will still have the strength to overpower and beat his defenders off the dribble.

Last season, Doncic had one of the best postseason runs with Dallas. He led the team to the NBA Finals, averaging 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 22 games.

Lakers executive reportedly convinced the Mavericks to lower Luka Doncic's price

One of the shocking details of the trade between the Lakers and Mavericks was what Los Angeles gave up. In exchange for Luka Doncic, the Purple and Gold gave up Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick. Dallas also packaged Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the trade.

Kirk Goldsberry, an NBA analyst for The Ringer, reported that the Lakers were to give up rookie Dalton Knecht and multiple first-round picks. However, Goldsberry said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast" on Monday that Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka was able to talk Nico Harrison into lowering the price.

The reason for it was because of Doncic's weight issue, which has caused him to get injured.

"Rob Pelinka was able to convince the Dallas Mavericks that Luka is a lot of risk ... Because this guy, 'Oh, he's drinking' or whatever, his weight problem, whatever it is, they were able to convince it."

In the end, the Lakers got a deal where they didn't have to lose a ton of assets.