NBA Insider Reveals Real Reason Luka Dončić ‘Never Even Considered Being Traded as a Possibility’

NBA insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN revealed the real reason Luka Dončić “never even considered being traded as a possibility.”

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world last season by trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Processing the trade from Dallas took Dončić some time,” McMenamin wrote. “Based on the way the franchise and fanbase treated him in his early days in the league, he figured he would retire a Maverick after spending his whole career in Dallas, the same way franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki did. And after starting his professional career with Real Madrid as a teenager, he never even considered being traded as a possibility, a source close to Dončić told ESPN. Deals like that rarely, if ever, happen in the Liga ACB.”

Dončić played in 422 games with the Mavericks. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists and made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA First teams.

Dallas reached the NBA Finals in 2024, losing to the Boston Celtics in five games. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison traded Dončić because he had issues with the superstar’s diet, weight, conditioning and work ethic.

A few days after the Mavericks traded Dončić to the Lakers, Dallas governor Patrick Dumont insinuated that Dončić didn’t work hard. 

“If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with — [Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O’Neal] — they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win,” Dumont said. “And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks.”

One of the best players in the NBA, Dončić transformed his body this offseason by going on a gluten-free, low-sugar diet, per Men’s Health. The 26-year-old point-forward has also gone on an intermittent fasting plan designed to limit inflammation and help his body recover better.

The Lakers signed Dončić to a three-year, $165 million extension on Saturday. Dončić played in 28 games with Los Angeles last season, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists. The future Hall of Famer averaged 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the 2025 playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who beat Los Angeles in five games in the first round.

Dončić enters next season with career averages of 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists with the Mavericks and Lakers. He’s third in NBA history in points per game, trailing only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.