The inside story on Luka Doncic's ballooning weight and the Mavs-Lakers trade that cost him $345m deal

Luka Doncic was reportedly pushing 270 pounds erstwhile Dallas Mavericks wide manager Nico Harrison ended talks connected a $345 cardinal hold with the franchise cornerstone to pursue Saturday night's historical trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Officially, it was concerns implicit Doncic's defence that prompted Harrison to swap the 25-year-old violative wizard for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, rising defender Max Christie, and a aboriginal first-round draught pick.

'I judge that defence wins championships,' Mavs wide manager Nico Harrison told ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who primitively reported Doncic's 270-pound heft. 'I judge that getting an All-Defensive halfway and an All-NBA subordinate with a antiaircraft mindset gives america a amended chance. We're built to triumph present and successful the future.'

Doncic did not propulsion for a trade, according to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein. Rather, Stein reports, the 2 sides were headed towards that five-year, $345 cardinal hold until Saturday. And arsenic sources person since revealed to MacMahon, the Mavs 'had large concerns astir moving guardant with Luka Doncic owed to his changeless conditioning issues.'

Unfortunately for Doncic, he's nary longer eligible for that extension, according to former Brooklyn Nets adjunct wide manager and existent ESPN wage headdress expert Bobby Marks. What's more, Doncic and his $43 cardinal wage present spell from Texas, wherever determination is nary authorities income tax, to California, wherever citizens tin spot up to 12.3 percent of their wages spell to the state. For now, helium remains signed done the 2025-26 play and has a subordinate enactment for 2026-27. 

Nearly everyone was blindsided by the news, including Doncic, Davis and LeBron James, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. What's more, James was retired to devour successful New York with household aft beating the Knicks connected Saturday erstwhile helium archetypal learned helium was losing Davis, who sat with an abdominal strain. 

There has been reporting that James had grown bushed of playing alongside Davis, with whom helium won a rubric successful 2020.

Bill Reiter, the NBA Insider for CBS, told his transmission helium heard speech past twelvemonth wrong the Lakers enactment that James was increasing frustrated with Davis, who has battled a bid of injuries successful Los Angeles.

'It wasn't that AD was going to beryllium traded, it was conscionable thing to support an oculus connected - that LeBron is frustrated with AD and doesn't deliberation that it is working,' Reiter said of what helium heard successful 2024.

James, 40, deed backmost abruptly connected X, replying to the video clip with a Pinocchio emoji and a clown emoji positive the comment: 'You a fkn lie!!!'

Davis is signed to Klutch Sports, the bureau owned and tally by James’ cause and adjacent friend, Rich Paul.

A 6-foot-8 constituent defender from Slovenia, Doncic guided the Mavs to the NBA Finals alongside Kyrie Irving this play but has ne'er shaken disapproval astir his conditioning. Still, helium finished 3rd successful past season's MVP voting and is inactive considered among the champion violative talents successful the game.

Per Charania, the Lakers are sending Davis, a 2029 first-round prime and Christie to the Mavericks, successful speech for Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

The Jazz are besides receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino from the Lakers, a Mavericks 2025 second-round prime and a 2025 Clippers second-rounder via the Lakers, arsenic Charania posted to X aft midnight connected the East Coast.

Charania said 'yes, this is real' successful a consequent tweet, arsenic helium acknowledged fans' bemusement astatine the astonishing deal.

Davis is besides having a highly productive play for the Lakers, averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, though helium is importantly older than Doncic astatine 31 years old.

Davis missed his team's triumph against the Knicks connected Saturday nighttime with an abdominal injury, portion Christie played and scored 15 points.

Meanwhile, Doncic hasn't played since Christmas Day aft exiting his team's crippled against the Timberwolves with a calf strain.

Doncic, who has played professionally successful Spain, is presently engaged to longtime woman Anamria Goltes. The lad of Sasa Doncic, a hoops manager and erstwhile player, and Mirjam Poterbin, a erstwhile exemplary and salon owner, Luka has $152 cardinal successful vocation earnings. 

The commercialized comes little than a twelvemonth aft the Mavericks made the NBA Finals led by Doncic and Irving, earlier falling to the Boston Celtics successful 5 games.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are 5th successful the Western Conference but person struggled to contend for a title aft winning the rubric successful the 2019-20 season.

The determination stunned the sports world, with galore fans and media wondering if Charania had been hacked.

Meanwhile, the Knicks' Jalen Brunson asked if it was 'April Fools' portion the Pacers Tyrese Haliburton said 'Shams got hacked?'

That daze besides applied to backmost Patrick Mahomes, who wrote 'I'm sick rn….' aft the woody had broken.

Doncic volition get a accidental to look his aged squad erstwhile the Lakers big the Mavs connected February 25.