Luka Doncic's reaction to Lakers birthday cake somehow makes Mavs look worse

All the rumors and alleged reasons for the Luka Doncic trade appear to have affected the Los Angeles Lakers star on some level.

That became clear following Friday night’s win over the rival Clippers, Luka’s teammates surprised him with a cake for his 26th birthday. Doncic clearly enjoyed and appreciated the gesture while declining to take part in any cake-eating on camera.

With all the talk lately about his weight and lifestyle being an issue in Dallas, it isn’t surprising Doncic wanted no part of a cake that likely packed thousands of calories per slice. This restraint shows that Doncic has been affected by all the slanderous things being said about him since the trade. It seems the Mavs may have even pissed off Luka after all he did for that franchise.

Luka Doncic doesn't want Lakers cake after Mavs trade woke up a monster

It’s one thing to trade a player (no matter how idiotic the move may be) that’s part of the business of professional sports but to then have all these comments and “reports” leaked about a player's perceived issues is another thing. It’s clear the Mavs have engaged in damage control after seeing how their fan base reacted in outrage upon hearing news of the trade.

All the slander that’s been peddled surrounding Doncic will come with consequences. He’s the wrong player to light a fire under and motivate even more to play like the assassin he’s already proven to be. The Lakers have won their last six games and suddenly find themselves among the Western Conference’s elite teams at 38-21 and in second place behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. LA is 10.5 games behind OKC along with the Denver Nuggets but the Lakers are playing some of their best ball in a long time.

The Lakers seem destined to go on a deep playoff run now and potentially win another NBA Championship, which would be number 18 for those keeping count. If that happens, it would most likely be on the back of Doncic. Should that come to fruition, we’d need to look no further than Nico Harrison and the Mavs not only for the trade but for all the bad things they had to say about Luka on his way out of the door.