Luka Doncic’s Past Actions Confirm JJ Redick’s Words Had No Effect as Secret Trip to Dallas Emerges

Picture this: You’re an NBA player whose season ended prematurely. But you still make the headlines more than the ones still playing. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, if the player you imagined ended up being Luka Doncic, it’s definitely bad. The higher you rise, the sharper the knives- and Doncic is on the tippy-top of the minds of the journalists. And it’s not even something new. Even now, he catches strays regarding his fitness issues. Do people not learn that even words from gaffers won’t change a thing?

The Lakers crashed out hard to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It wasn’t all due to Doncic for sure, but his defensive woes are coming under a spotlight of late. Jaden McDaniels, when guarded by Doncic, was the second-most efficient one-on-one matchup in the first round at a 68.8% effective field goal percentage. Chris Finch even ran switches and pick-and-rolls designed to force Luka into primary defensive roles. Yikes.

This, among other reasons, forced JJ Redick to say this in the postseason conference: “There’s certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That’s where my mind goes immediately — we have to get in championship shape.” While this doesn’t directly point towards Luka, people have taken the liberty to assume so. To be fair, that’s one of the biggest reasons as to why Nico Harrison even let him go from the Mavericks.

So when Dan Patrick asked ESPN’s Tim MacMahon about the effect Redick’s words may have had on Luka Doncic, his answer left the mind very little to ponder. “Probably about the same as when Jason Kidd would do it at the end of seasons and even Rick Carlisle at the end of seasons. I mean, this has been something that has been an issue for Luka throughout his entire career. Even going back to the pre-draft process. It was one of the knocks. Well, what I have consistently said is the condition concerns are absolutely legitimate and still an insane reason to trade a generational talent. Months removed from him leading your franchise to the NBA finals when he fully intended to stay in Dallas for his entire career.”

And so it seems, that even if the Doncic move broke hearts in Dallas, it still had a rationale behind it. But all this doesn’t take away his future Hall of Fame status. He can still average 30+ points on any given night, regardless of how many beers he had the evening before.

Tim admits this himself, questioning the public for ever doubting him. “Did people like, has there been some kind of like optometrist revolution suddenly? Like, did you not have eyeballs? Were they not working? Of course conditioning has been a concern with him throughout his career. He’s still been a five-time first-team all-NBA player.”

All of this is in the past, though. Redick and Rob Pelinka now need to look to build their team around the Don for the future. But none of that would really matter if he doesn’t even choose LA as his future home. What could cause that confusion?

Luka Doncic seen leaving to Dallas after dinner with Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick

Luka Doncic is up for a contract renewal. He’s still on the five-year, $215 million contract he signed with Dallas in the 2022-23 season. But under that contract, he’s still eligible to sign an extension with the Lakers. That deal is apparently a four-year, $229 million extension, which could make him an UFA by the 2027-28 season. This has led to speculation behind a recent dinner the Slovenian had with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and Coach Redick.

Apparently, Luka was seen to be on his way to Dallas after the dinner. Not just that, he’s also rumored to be on his way to Slovenia as we speak. This doesn’t seem too off the charts though, as he still owns a house in Dallas, while his full family lives in Slovenia. But reports of an uncertain future, combined with his random trips away from LA leave little to speculate.

After dinner / meeting with Rob Pelinka and JJ Reddick 2 days ago, Luka Dončić went to Dallas … and now few hours ago left Dallas and will soon land in Slovenia.

— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) May 5, 2025

Despite public opinion, Tim Mac is right – Luka Doncic is still capable of dunking on your favourite team, even if he weighs a metric tonne. But as a professional player, the standards are much higher than just ability. These reasons have put the Don in bad light. Is that justifiable enough to look for a future away from the Showtime?

The post Luka Doncic’s Past Actions Confirm JJ Redick’s Words Had No Effect as Secret Trip to Dallas Emerges appeared first on EssentiallySports.