NBA Rumors: Another reason why the Dallas Mavericks may have traded Luka Doncic might have just been revealed.
It's been weeks since the blockbuster trade heard around the NBA World, and yet, there still remains plenty of mystery surrounding it. At this point, we may never know the complete reasoning behind the Dallas Mavericks' intent to trade Luka Doncic, and much less to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, there has been some recent reporting that has attempted to do so.
In recent weeks, there has been talk of Luka's weight and injury issues as concerns that may have led to the Mavs' decision to trade him ahead of the deadline. Some more reporting seems to hint at another potential reason for the big move. According to a report from The Athletic, one of the real reasons that the Mavs ended up trading Luka to the Lakers a few weeks ago revolved around their concerns with his "smoking" and "drinking."
"Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Doncic’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. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on — 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. "via The Athletic
The fallout from the Luka Doncic trade will not be good for the Mavs
Even if the Mavs were right about Luka's recent behavior or habits, that still doesn't excuse the team's decision not to allow a bidding war to be abrupt by making their intentions public. Despite all this reporting, I'd still imagine teams would be lining up with godfather trade offers to get a shot at landing Luka via trade.
With how young he is, I can't imagine a world where there wouldn't be a high demand for Luka on the open market. That part of the decision will never make sense when looking back. Sure, Anthony Davis is a good player, but they could've gotten much better offers had this become a huge bidding war in the offseason.
The Mavs will probably never live that down. And if Luka is any level of successful in Los Angeles, this is one of those decisions that is only going to look worse and worse. I suppose the only saving grace for the Mavs is if they win a championship within the next few seasons, with AD playing a big part in it.
At least for now, that seems like an extremely unlikely outcome. I wouldn't count it out as unreasonable, but it's pretty safe to assume that the Mavs will have their work cut out for them to prove themselves right in this situation. No matter what continues to come out, I don't think Mavs fans will ever recover from the front office trading Luka.