The Mavericks may have been playing games with Luka Doncic’s status long before he was shockingly traded to the Lakers earlier this month.
The star guard was in such poor shape going into the season that Dallas used an injury in November “that was not entirely true” so that Doncic could have extra time to ramp up, according to The Athletic.
He missed five games with what the team labeled a wrist sprain.
This information was revealed in a feature on embattled Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who executed the deal and is painted as a 52-year-old who values secrecy and “is a notorious nutrition devotee.”
Despite not being in peak shape, Doncic was averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists before he was sent to Los Angeles in a package that brought back Anthony Davis and other assets.
At the time of the alleged injury, the Mavericks’ public relations team said that Doncic received an MRI and a wrist sprain was determined as the official injury.
Coming off a trip to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Celtics, the Mavericks were off an an uneven 8-7 start when Doncic sat out.
The team won four of the five games without him and reeled off four straight wins upon his return.
After the Mavericks traded Doncic in a behind-closed-doors trade that no one was privy to otherwise, it leaked out that Doncic weighed 270 pounds at one point this season, with some citing bad conditioning as the logic for a deal that was getting universally panned.
After multiple interviews, Harrison and team owner Patrick Dumont told reporters that the team made the trade to improve “team culture” and infuse more defense into its lineup.
Privately, Harrison felt Doncic’s “body would break down possibly sooner than anyone would suspect,” according to The Athletic.
Doncic went down with a serious calf strain on Christmas Day vs. the Timberwolves in what would be his final game with the team.
Harrison first approached the Lakers’ Rob Pelinka about a Doncic trade on Jan. 7 when Los Angeles was in Dallas for a game.
Since the deal that sent Doncic to Los Angeles and Anthony Davis (abductor strain), the Mavericks are 4-3 and looking to stay afloat as they await reinforcements to return from injury.
