Over the past few months, the Dallas Mavericks and their fans have been reeling from one of the most shocking trades in league history.
Since trading Luka Doncic in early February, not much has gone the Mavericks’ way. While they landed the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery and snagged Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving’s torn ACL and various injuries in the frontcourt that have carried into the offseason leave Dallas in a tricky position going into next season.
Still, the Mavericks and Nico Harrison clearly believe that the team they have is capable of competing with the best teams in the West. However, one of those teams will likely be the Los Angeles Lakers, and Doncic’s offseason has made things even more interesting.
As he begins a week of Jordan Brand appearances, Luka Dončić is also featured in @MensHealthMag, talking extensively about his offseason training and his body transformation this summer.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 28, 2025
“If I stop now,” Dončić told the magazine, “it was all for nothing.” pic.twitter.com/ItL3WiOjUk
Recently, Doncic appeared on the cover of Men’s Health, leading to plenty of talks about his body transformation and even becoming skinny after plenty of criticism about his weight. Of course, Doncic’s weight loss has only happened during this offseason, which could mean that Harrison had a point about the superstar when he made the infamous trade, an observation also made by plenty of fans on social media.
Along with repeatedly saying that defense wins championships, another reason for Harrison’s decision was Doncic’s reportedly underwhelming commitment to staying in shape.
Of course, all the trade has done is motivate Doncic to become the best version of himself moving forward, and coming off an injury, there was no real chance for Doncic to truly be in top shape last season.
While this cover certainly might show that Harrison is right, he will only be judged by the results that come after, and a healthy and skinny Doncic could soon make Harrison look very wrong.