Luka Doncic insiders have surprising take on post-Mavericks transformation

Dallas Mavericks insiders have issued an intriguing insight into the now-Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Luka Doncic's offseason body metamorphosis.

Doncic, 26, was traded by Dallas — along with big men Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris — midseason to L.A., in exchange for 10-time All-Star center/power forward Anthony Davis, shooting guard Max Christie, and just one first-round draft pick.

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Both teams also sent a 2025 second-round pick, each, to the Utah Jazz after that club facilitated the deal by taking on the contract of second-year Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.

After Doncic had been flipped, Dallas brass claimed the team had questions about his long-term fitness, criticizing him for playing while out-of-shape. The 6-foot-6 guard had been sidelined by a calf injury for much of the season, ultimately only suiting up for 50 games between the Mavericks and Lakers. 

Earlier this week, Doncic appeared on the cover of "Men's Health" magazine, debuting a surprisingly shredded physique.

Our digital cover star, Luka Doncic, ready to take his game (and the Lakers) to new levels of dominance. And this summer shred has been years in the making.https://t.co/aB19DY7rrLpic.twitter.com/bjVsf1ampI

— Men's Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) July 28, 2025

Per Dan Woike of The Athletic, sources within Doncic's camp are convinced that he would have made this fitness journey — which includes a rigorous new workout, an expanded training staff, and a new diet — even had he remained on the Mavericks.

"That plan, according to some around Doncic, was going to be fulfilled no matter what happened in his pro career. To everyone else, it’s so clearly a response to the humiliation and pain caused by the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to cast him away from the city where he’d planned on spending the entirety of his career," Doncic adds.

The five-time All-NBA superstar, still just 26, certainly seems to be on a vengeance tour. After all, he managed to bring the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals with his prior, less-focused approach to fitness.

"Some sources in Doncic’s inner circle believed he was on the path toward this kind of physical transformation whether or not Dallas general manager Nico Harrison had bet against him," Woike adds.

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