The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade stunned the entire basketball world, but no one was more blindsided than Anthony Davis himself. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Davis was completely unaware that he was about to be moved. In fact, just minutes before being traded, he was texting his Lakers teammates congratulating them on their win over the New York Knicks.
“I had another source tell me that after the game, Anthony Davis was sending out congratulatory text messages about the Lakers’ effort in getting the win without him against the Knicks. So clearly, Anthony Davis didn’t know this was coming as well, and here we are.”
“It’s kind of on the 17-year anniversary of the Lakers, in the cloak of anonymity, being able to pull Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies. In a very similar fashion, they get this deal done without people suspecting a deal was in the works.”
This moment highlights the secrecy surrounding the deal, which was orchestrated without the knowledge of the players involved. The trade materialized behind closed doors, with even LeBron James left in the dark about what was happening. The Lakers were able to negotiate and finalize a franchise-altering trade without leaks, a rare feat in today’s NBA.
Davis, who sat out the Knicks game due to injury, was watching from the sidelines as the Lakers dominated Madison Square Garden without him, securing a 128-112 victory. Proud of his teammates’ effort, he reportedly sent congratulatory texts to multiple Lakers players, praising them for stepping up in his absence.
At that very moment, the Lakers front office was finalizing a deal that would send him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Donic. This trade was executed so discreetly that Davis himself was caught completely off guard.
Moments after sending those texts, he found out that he would no longer be a Laker—a franchise he had spent five and a half seasons with, won a championship for, and helped lead as its defensive anchor.
The Lakers’ ability to execute this deal in absolute secrecy is reminiscent of how they pulled off the Pau Gasol trade 17 years ago, according to McMenamin. In 2008, the Lakers shocked the NBA by acquiring Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a move that instantly transformed them into title contenders.
Similarly, the Doncic trade was completed without rumors or leaks, allowing the Lakers to make a game-changing move before anyone could react.
The only person outside of the Lakers’ front office who might have known about the deal ahead of time was Rich Paul, Davis’ agent. However, Paul kept the information confidential, ensuring that even Davis and LeBron were unaware of what was coming.
Davis wasn’t the only one caught off guard. LeBron James, his closest teammate, also had no idea the trade was happening. James, who has been accused of playing “GM” in past Lakers transactions, had zero input on this deal and was completely blindsided when he heard the news during a family dinner after the Knicks game.
Similarly, Luka Doncic was left in shock. The Mavericks had not informed him that he was being shopped, and he was reportedly stunned to learn that the team had given up on him so suddenly. The move proved that Dallas had lost faith in Doncic leading them to a title, and the front office decided to shift in a different direction with Davis as their new franchise cornerstone.
Anthony Davis’ final moments as a Laker were filled with nothing but support for his teammates, making his trade even more shocking. The fact that he was actively texting them words of encouragement while unknowingly being moved highlights just how tightly the Lakers kept this deal under wraps.
Now, Davis heads to Dallas, where he will team up with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson in hopes of leading the Mavericks back to the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Lakers have secured their future with Doncic, giving them a dominant young superstar to pair with LeBron James as they make a run for another championship.
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