Report: Luka was believed to be already on path to body transformation before trade

The body transformation of Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been a key storyline this offseason, with the 26-year-old appearing to be in fantastic shape ahead of the 2025-26 season.

There has been a lot of talk about how the Dallas Mavericks and general manager Nico Harrison might’ve awoken a beast in Doncic when they traded him away. Some leaks from the Mavs also painted his weight and conditioning in a negative light at the time.

But according to a report, some sources close to Doncic believed he was on track to transform his body regardless of whether Harrison “had bet against him.”

“Some sources in Dončić’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,” wrote Dan Woike of The Athletic. “Dončić and his management team began working with [Anže] Maček 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.

“The belief among Dončić’s team was, to some degree, that as he matured as an NBA professional, he’d adopt some better habits and completely buy into a stricter strength and conditioning program instead of the more competition-driven approach he’d been comfortable with. But improvement isn’t always linear, and Dončić suffered a number of physical setbacks in 2024 that certainly made it easier for the Mavericks to explore options other than handing him a blank check mega-extension.”

Either way, one has to imagine that Doncic has an extra level of motivation following the trade from the Mavs. Many expected him to spend his entire NBA career there, and when that dream came to an end with the shocking trade, he gained some bulletin board material that should last him the rest of his time in the league.

During his Mavs tenure, Doncic became a perennial MVP candidate, won a scoring title and led the team to the NBA Finals. Now, he’ll look to build a new legacy with the Lakers and take the team back to the NBA’s mountaintop.

Doncic’s body transformation could help him on the defensive end. It could also help him elevate his game offensively, something that’s wild to imagine for a player who almost averaged a 34-point triple-double just two seasons ago.

But for Doncic, getting in better shape might just be half the challenge, as he will also need to find ways to maintain it during the season. The 2025-26 campaign will be an interesting experiment in that regard.

After joining the Lakers last season, the five-time All-Star averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. His contributions helped L.A. secure a solid seed going into the playoffs, but the team wasn’t able to make it beyond the first round after running into the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The hope is that this coming season will have a different ending, especially if it ends up being Doncic’s last chance to play alongside co-star LeBron James.