The Dallas Mavericks sent shockwaves through the NBA when news broke that they were trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. The move was so outrageous that many viewed it as unnecessary.
Make no mistake, Anthony Davis is a walking 25 and 12 and a DPOY-caliber force, giving the Mavericks a different kind of two-way boost. However, Doncic had just led Dallas to the NBA Finals, is only 25 years old, and has the potential to become the face of the league.
There were plenty of reasons why trading Doncic didn’t make sense, or at the very least, the Mavericks should have walked away with a bigger haul. But for the Mavericks, concerns over his conditioning loomed too large.
According to a report, some within the organization even feared that Doncic could end up like Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid, who has struggled with staying on the court in recent years.
Per HoopsHype:
“The biggest thing, when talking to people around the league, was the concern about Luka’s conditioning. As we all know, and as has been reported, he’s gotten up to 270 pounds. According to my sources, the Dallas Mavericks were feeling like it could end up being a Joel Embiid-type situation.”