There is no bad blood between Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks fans. There is no bad blood between Luka and his former teammates, and there is likely no bad blood between Doncic and his former coaching staff, although we say that with a degree of uncertainty.
What we do know is that there is bad blood between Doncic and the Mavericks' brass, namely general manager Nico Harrison, who conducted a middle-of-the-night trade to send his best player to the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the fact, Harrison cited a lack of conditioning and winning play from Doncic, despite him dragging the Mavs to the NBA Finals the season prior. Granted, Doncic was not as chisled as some NBA players, although he remained one of the five best players in the league.
After spending much of last season recovering from varus lower-body injuries, Doncic is ready to hit the ground running in 2025-26 with his new team and seems to be ready to put the league on notice.
"Doncic has been incredibly committed to his conditioning this offseason," reported The Athletic's Dan Woike. "He’s dropped significant weight and is working on a strict diet and cardio training, according to a source with knowledge of the plan. In a shift from his normal offseason, he spent a month away from on-court work to focus more on his body."
Doncic will represent Slovenia at the EuroBasket tournament this summer and is already in playing shape. While he ended last season playing slightly below the expectations he has built up for himself, it's safe to say that he will be back in MVP discussions next season and will have his games against the Mavericks marked on his calendar.
The eventual showdown between Doncic and Cooper Flagg will be must-watch TV, although it's expected that Luka will take over.