Mavs Insiders: Lakers' Luka Doncic's Diet, Habits 'Likely Lead to Catastrophe' in NBA

Luka Dončić's off-court habits reportedly weighed heavily on the Dallas Mavericks' shocking decision to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, some within the Mavs organization felt Dončić was "lazy," and they had concerns about the path he was on physically.

Dončić's weight was reportedly a "frequent frustration" within the organization, as was his affinity for drinking beer and smoking hookah.

Some Mavericks insiders offered a prediction to Amick that Dončić's habits will "likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so."

Late on the night of Feb. 1, reports surfaced from seemingly out of nowhere that the Mavs had agreed to trade the face of their franchise to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

There was plenty of thought at first that the reports were a hoax, but they were later confirmed to be legitimate, and Dončić was on his way to L.A.

For all the faults the Mavericks apparently saw in the Slovenian star, there is no denying what he has accomplished in the NBA thus far.

He is a five-time All-Star over his seven NBA seasons, he won the scoring title and finished third in the NBA MVP voting last season, and he also led Dallas all the way to the NBA Finals.

For his career, Dončić boasts robust per-game averages of 28.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists, and he has done all of that before his 26th birthday, which is on Friday.

While Dončić isn't yet scoring at the same level in L.A. that he did in Dallas, early returns on the trade have been good for the Lakers, as they are 7-2 since it went down, he is averaging 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the five games he has played.

On Tuesday night, Dončić faced his former team for the first time, as the Lakers welcomed the Mavs to Crypto.com Arena.

Dončić was a huge difference-maker for his new squad, recording a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double in a 107-99 win.

The Lakers are flying high, as their 35-21 record has them fourth in the Western Conference, while the Mavericks have gone just 5-5 since moving on from Dončić and are ninth in the West at 31-28.

Dončić can opt out of his contract after next season if he doesn't sign an extension before then, and the Mavericks had to decide whether they felt it was worth it to invest in him with a max deal.

The Mavs clearly felt the cons outweighed the pros in that scenario, but it is fair to wonder if the Mavericks' lack of confidence in him will inspire Dončić to reach new heights in L.A.