Two weeks have passed since the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers executed one of the most surprising trades in NBA history, sending Anthony Davis to Dallas in exchange for Luka Doncic, who now joins the Lakers. Despite all the analysis and speculation, there still isn’t a fully convincing reason for why Dallas decided to part ways with Doncic in the way they did.
While concerns about Luka’s injury history and conditioning have always existed, these were issues long before Mavericks GM Nico Harrison took over in 2021. Doncic was already on a superstar trajectory by the time Harrison arrived. However, it seems that the stark contrast in their lifestyles—Harrison’s disciplined, health-focused approach versus Doncic’s more relaxed habits—might have been the catalyst behind the trade.
According to Christian Clark, Mark Vorkunov, and Fred Katz from The Athletic, Harrison, who is known for his “disciplined and detailed” nature, took issue with Doncic’s lifestyle choices, like drinking beer, smoking hookah, and not being as serious about his diet and fitness as Harrison would have liked for a championship contender. Harrison’s approach to building a team seemed to reflect his own lifestyle choices.
Despite these differences, Doncic was Harrison’s ticket to title contention, having led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year and remaining a dominant force in the postseason. Yet, Harrison made the decision to trade him for Anthony Davis, a 31-year-old talent with a lengthy injury history of his own. Davis didn’t even finish one full game with the Mavericks before suffering an injury that will keep him sidelined for weeks.
It’s clear that there was more tension between Harrison and Doncic behind the scenes, especially given the ongoing criticism of Luka’s conditioning, which likely didn’t sit well with Harrison, who is known for greeting friends with the question, “What did you eat today?” Still, in the NBA, winning games is the priority, and Luka had proven time and again that he could win, regardless of his diet or off-court habits.
