Luka Doncic insiders have surprising take on post-Mavericks transformation
Doncic, 26, was traded by Dallas — along with big men Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris — midseason to L.A., in exchange for 10-time All-Star center/power forward Anthony Davis, shooting guard Max Christie, and just one first-round draft pick.
MORE NEWS:Kendrick Perkins utters bold take on ex-Mavericks star Luka Doncic
Both teams also sent a 2025 second-round pick, each, to the Utah Jazz after that club facilitated the deal by taking on the contract of second-year Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
After Doncic had been flipped, Dallas brass claimed the team had questions about his long-term fitness, criticizing him for playing while out-of-shape. The 6-foot-6 guard had been sidelined by a calf injury for much of the season, ultimately only suiting up for 50 games between the Mavericks and Lakers.
Earlier this week, Doncic appeared on the cover of "Men's Health" magazine, debuting a surprisingly shredded physique.
Per Dan Woike of The Athletic, sources within Doncic's camp are convinced that he would have made this fitness journey — which includes a rigorous new workout, an expanded training staff, and a new diet — even had he remained on the Mavericks.
"That plan, according to some around Doncic, was going to be fulfilled no matter what happened in his pro career. To everyone else, it's so clearly a response to the humiliation and pain caused by the Dallas Mavericks' decision to cast him away from the city where he'd planned on spending the entirety of his career," Doncic adds.
The five-time All-NBA superstar, still just 26, certainly seems to be on a vengeance tour. After all, he managed to bring the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals with his prior, less-focused approach to fitness.
"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," Woike adds.
MORE NEWS:One key factor derailed Dallas Mavericks' pursuit of Kevin Durant
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Benintendi, Sosa each hit a HR as White Sox beat Angels 6-3
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Andrew Benintendi had a double and a home run, Lenyn Sosa also homered among his two hits, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-3 on Friday night. White Sox starter Shane Smith gave up two runs and two hits while striking out four over 4 1/3 innings in his first start since July 11 following a stint on the 15-day IL . Jordan Leasure (4-6) earned the win in relief, striking out four in 1 2/3 innings. Benintendi and Sosa each hit solo home runs in the second inning off Angels starter Tyler Anderson (2-7), and Luis Robert Jr. had a sacrifice fly drove Miguel Vargas home in the fourth inning to make it 3-0. Gustavo Campero's second home run of the year, a two-run blast to deep center field in the fifth, got the Angels within one, but Colson Montgomery answered with a deep homer of his own in the sixth inning. Logan O'Hoppe scored on Zach Neto's sacrifice fly to bring the Angels within one again, and Nolan Schanuel appeared to drive in Travis D'Arnaud with a two-out single, but Campero was thrown out at third prior to D'Arnaud crossing the plate. Sosa had an RBI single in the eighth and Josh Rojas added a solo homer in the ninth. Steven Wilson got the last six outs for his second save of the year. Key moment Campero's baserunning error prevented the game-tying run from scoring in the seventh, ending what was a bases-loaded, one-out threat for the Angels. Key stat Montgomery continued his second-half tear with a solo home run, which represented his 18th RBI since the All-Star break. He is now tied with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the most RBIs since the break. Up next White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (2-6, 4.38 ERA) starts opposite Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-7, 4.73). ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Grant Holmes duels Kumar Rocker, as nihilism sets in for the 2025 Braves
One of 2025's bright spots for Atlanta will take the mound in Dallas as we are really just running out the clock on the season at this point as far as team success goes. Frustration is palpable at the team's continued impotence, as illustrated by Spencer Strider seemingly chewing out the team's hitting coaches during Friday night's loss. There are still individual player storylines worth watching and draft lottery odds at stake, but it is all-but guaranteed for this to be a lost season in what is supposed to be a championship window with a lot of change coming in the next 6 months for the franchise. Holmes has been a perfectly fine back of the rotation starter for the Braves this season, as Ivan and myself predicted him to be an under-the-radar breakout candidate preseason. One could quibble with that, as he may end up with less fWAR than last season, but taking the step up to a starter's workload at a respectable level is quite valuable in its own right. His diving slider and hard curveball continue to carry his success and it's easy to see him having a ton of success if he ever gets the chance to just pitch one time through the order on a consistent basis. On the other side, one of the more well-known college draftees in recent years, Kumar Rocker will take the mound for Texas. After looking like a potential number one overall pick, falling a bit, being drafted by the Mets, and ultimately going unsigned by New York, Rocker was drafted again the next year third overall in a stunner underslot pick by Texas. He has dominated the minors in the short time he has spent there, but has not found his footing at the major league level through 67.1 innings, made worse by some bad HR/FB luck. He has struggled to strike hitters out this season, though his average whiff rate and above average chase rate would seemingly point to a higher true strikeout ability than his strikeout rate has shown in 55.2 innings this year. He has a deep slider and a lot of arm-side run on his four-seamer, but six more-or-less normally shaped pitches with some pretty good velocity and extension. Rocker isn't a particularly formidable pitcher for the Braves' offense to face at this stage in his career and one could reasonably call this a pitching advantage for Atlanta, but the Braves' offense is just so unreliable this season that who knows what to expect. Game Info Game Date/Time: Saturday, July 26, 7:05 p.m. EDT Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX TV: FanDuel Sports Network South / Southeast, MLB Network (out-of-market only) Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM More from Rookies and AAA Plate Appearances: Does it Matter for Hitters? Braves place 10 on FanGraphs Summer Top 100 Prospects Sims survives Coors as bats rock Rox in finale, 10-4 Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: Acuna Homers, Wentz Dominates Atlanta Braves super early 2018 MLB Draft Preview Remember Andrelton Simmons? He's an MVP candidate in Los Angeles Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: Ronald Acuna homers again because of course he did
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Tyler Anderson and Angels struggle to hold back White Sox in loss
Andrew Benintendi had a double and a home run, Lenyn Sosa also homered among his two hits, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Angels 6-3 on Friday night. White Sox starter Shane Smith gave up two runs and two hits while striking out four over 4 1/3 innings in his first start since July 11 following a stint on the 15-day IL. Jordan Leasure (4-6) earned the win in relief, striking out four in 1 2/3 innings. Benintendi and Sosa each hit solo home runs in the second inning off Angels starter Tyler Anderson (2-7), and Luis Robert Jr. had a sacrifice fly drove Miguel Vargas home in the fourth inning to make it 3-0. Gustavo Campero's second home run of the year, a two-run blast to deep center field in the fifth, got the Angels within one, but Colson Montgomery answered with a deep homer of his own in the sixth inning. Logan O'Hoppe scored on Zach Neto's sacrifice fly to bring the Angels within one again, and Nolan Schanuel appeared to drive in Travis D'Arnaud with a two-out single, but Campero was thrown out at third prior to D'Arnaud crossing the plate. Sosa had an RBI single in the eighth and Josh Rojas added a solo homer in the ninth. Steven Wilson got the last six outs for his second save of the year. Mike Trout did not play for the Angels because of illness. Key moment: Campero's baserunning error prevented the game-tying run from scoring in the seventh, ending what was a bases-loaded, one-out threat for the Angels. Key stat: Montgomery continued his second-half tear with a solo home run, which represented his 18th RBI since the All-Star break. He is now tied with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the most RBIs since the break. Up next: White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (2-6, 4.38 ERA) starts opposite Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-7, 4.73).
