The Mavericks Won't Stop Badmouthing Luka Dončić, Which Is Probably Good for the Lakers

At this point, everyone knows why the Dallas Mavericks, and specifically Nico Harrison, felt they needed to trade Luka Dončić. They didn't think he was a wise investment, given his questionable fitness and reportedly tenuous relationship with nutrition. Harrison said as much in his comments to the media following the deal. And now, Sam Amick at The Athletic reports that sources with the Mavs are again trashing Luka's rep, using the game on Tuesday night—Luka's first against the Mavs—as the entry point to again try and justify their position. Sources talked to Amick about beer drinking and hookah smoking. They talked about food choices and risk. Most people think Harrison is a fool for doing what he did. But there's no mystery at this point as to why he made the decision he did. And talking about it more can't possibly be good for the Mavericks. It's not winning the PR battle, because fans find Harrison's explanation no more compelling now than they did at the beginning of the month. It's not winning battles with players, because you'd better believe great players are watching how Dallas treated Luka, here, and what they're spilling about his time in Dallas. But these are Dallas problems. There is, actually, one party that benefits from this continued attack on Luka's commitment to winning (because that's ultimately what Dallas is questioning) and it's the Lakers. Because if Luka is as petty and competitive as others have made him out to be, he'll want to absolutely torch the league in response to what Dallas has done. He'll want not only to score a bunch of points, drop crazy dimes and post big rebounding numbers, Dončić will want to stay in shape and play a ton of games just out of spite. Which is fine with the Lakers. Whatever motivates him to keep his body right. Lakers fans broke out into a "Thank you, Nico" chat Tuesday at Staples. But if the Mavs insist on carrying on with this post-trade campaign to justify the move, Laker Nation might need to send along a fruit basket or something, because Dallas is only giving Luka more incentive to do what the they say he can't or won't. It's a great deal for the Lakers, who just need to give Dončić the space he needs to reclaim his 5x All-NBA form. If he only fulfills his talent in LA out of spite? Well, it's still Luka hitting his ceiling, which as we know is incredibly high. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Why won't the Mavs stop trashing Luka? SEGMENT 2 : What it does for the Lakers. SEGMENT 3: LeBron has cranked up the D. Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com . Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Robinhood With Robinhood Gold, you can now enjoy the VIP treatment. The new Gold Standard is here with Robinhood Gold. To receive 3% boost on annual IRA contributions, sign up at robinhood.com/gold . Door Dash They Swoosh, You Save: when any player scores 50 or more points in a game during the 24/25 NBA regular season, DashPass members save 50% on an order, up to $10 off with promo code NBA50 . 50% Off 1 Order (Up to $10 Off) Offer valid from 9:00 AM PT through 11:59 PM PT after a 50 point performance in any game during the NBA season on orders placed at participating merchant locations. Valid only in the United States. Maximum value of discount is $10.00. Discount applies to subtotal only; does not apply to fees, taxes, and gratuity. Not valid for pickup. Limit one per person. Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Fees, taxes, and gratuity still apply. Must have an active DashPass account. Use promo code NBA50 to redeem. See further terms and conditions at https://drd.sh/8ONpZP/ . FanDuel Right now, new FanDuel customers can get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER : 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.