Ex-Maverick Luka Doncic was on the way to body transformation before Lakers trade

The Luka Doncic trade in February of this year has been lambasted as one of the worst trades in the history of professional sports, and more evidence seems to come in every day of GM Nico Harrison's massive mistake.

Doncic, who was the punchline of jokes throughout the season for his being out of shape, has already shown that his dedication to his body has seen an uptick since the offseason began, as the he was featured on the cover of Men's Health Magazine recently. Many wondered how much of this was spurred by the trade itself – but according to The Athletic, Doncic was on his way to this before the swap with LA ever happened.

"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. Doncic and his management team began working with [Anze] Macek and [Javier] Barrio in 2023. One year later, he helped carry the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and immediately followed that by playing for his national team in Slovenia’s failed bid to make the Paris Olympics."