Luka Doncic's Major Motivation Behind Potential Offseason Transformation Revealed

The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February because general manager Nico Harrison wasn't comfortable building the team around a player he believed wasn't in elite shape and didn't play strong defense. 

Doncic's work ethic and conditioning were publicly and privately bashed by the Mavericks after the blockbuster trade with the Lakers, who lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's playoffs despite having Doncic and LeBron James. 

Photos of Doncic looking skinnier emerged this week while the star watched a Real Madrid game in Spain. They instantly went viral with widespread speculations about what he has been up to.  

Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times probably has the answer. According to Woike, the Slovenian superstar did not take the conversations about his work ethic and conditioning lightly. 

“Without trying to gauge whether Doncic is in awesome shape or in a flattering T-shirt, I will say this: There were people in his camp who felt as though he was in store for a big offseason because of the humiliation he felt in the discussions about his work ethic and conditioning after he was traded from Dallas,” Woike wrote. 

“With EuroBasket getting underway in late August, the Lakers should expect a fully engaged Doncic whenever he gets back to Los Angeles.”