It’s safe to say that almost literally no one around the NBA expected the Lakers and Mavericks to trade stars on Saturday night.
It’s fair to say that the Dallas Mavericks’ stunning decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and a first-round pick might have caught not just fans and media members off-guard, but potentially everyone in the NBA… including the players involved in the deal themselves.
This trade was so out of nowhere that most assumed Shams Charania of ESPN was hacked when breaking it on his Twitter account until confirmations started to come in from other media outlets. And according to Shams in a subsequent TV appearance, NBA fans aren’t the only ones struggling to process maybe the biggest scoop of his career:
“This deal materialized in the shadows … LeBron James had no idea this was coming. Anthony Davis had no idea this was coming. I’m told Luka Doncic is still stunned about this trade.”@ShamsCharania on the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade between the Lakers and Mavericks pic.twitter.com/Hp4bL3UX2M
— ESPN (@espn) February 2, 2025
Longtime James chronicler Dave McMenamin (also of ESPN) provided more details from New York about just how shocked James and Davis were:
LeBron James learned of the Davis-Doncic trade after the Knicks game when it broke while he was out to dinner with his family, sources close to James told ESPN. James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works, sources said.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 2, 2025
.@mcten said Anthony Davis was texting players after the Lakers win over the Knicks, unaware of the looming trade
“After the game, Anthony Davis is sending congratulatory text messages about the Lakers effort getting the win without him.”
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) February 2, 2025
Reports out of Dallas suggested Doncic was caught by surprise as well:
The Mavericks and Luka Doncic, until tonight, were heading toward a five-year contract extension in July worth a record $345 million.
Dallas GM Nico Harrison made the call to abruptly change the direction of the franchise with one of the most stunning trades in league history. https://t.co/mQcNlH6zSR
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 2, 2025
It immediately led to speculation from NBA figures about if the move is a precursor to a James trade as well, according to Brian Windhorst:
Windhorst:
That is the discussion that is happening now throughout the league.
My phone is now moving past Luka into what happens with LeBron
— Cameron Tabatabaie (@CTabatabaie) February 2, 2025
LeBron himself didn’t directly address those reports, but he did take to Twitter to blast a separate rumor that he had anything to do with the Davis trade:
You a fkn lie!!! https://t.co/EYNRUbUFmj
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 2, 2025
James isn’t the only one trying to figure out how to react, though. The deal caught seemingly the entire league unaware, with All-Stars and executives alike anonymously texting reporters to express their shock and dismay:
“I had a current NBA All-Star text me and say, ‘Do you know how much the Mavericks must hate Luka?’”
–@WindhorstESPN on how the league is reacting to the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade pic.twitter.com/Z1afOJQm17
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2025
Dallas had contacted several teams this week, looking to reroute additional salary for a potential three-team deal, sources said.
A bunch of teams knew inklings about the Mavericks being close on a trade.
Nobody knew it was trading Luka Doncic.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 2, 2025
As word of the blockbuster rippled throughout the league, players found out (and expressed their surprise) on social media and in postgame interviews…
Huh?????
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) February 2, 2025
“Insane. It’s crazy, crazy.”
Kevin Durant on mega Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.
“Players are held to a different standard of loyalty and commitment to a program but the organizations don’t get held to that same standard from the outside.”
On teams following suit before Feb.… pic.twitter.com/DekP4eRN6N
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 2, 2025
“It’s crazy man. I really don’t know what to say about it. Luka being a guy that everybody has claimed is untouchable and untradeable. The NBA shows you again.”
Devin Booker on colossal Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.
“It’s a business. They’re always having a conversation… pic.twitter.com/p2DdVR7u3N
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 2, 2025
…and even on the bench, during a different NBA game, where Matisse Thybulle and his Trail Blazers teammates encapsulated the full range of all of our reactions to seeing the initial report when informed on the bench:
When the Blazers found out about the trade mid-game.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 2, 2025
Booker also had his reaction seemingly captured on the bench:
“Somebody told us ‘Luka’ by the bench. And I said Luka Garza? Who got traded? And that’s no shade to Luka Garza. But yeah, crazy.” — Devin Booker on how he found out about the Luka trade. pic.twitter.com/ciQ56POwG0
— Tedd Buddwell (@TedBuddy8) February 2, 2025
This legitimately may go down as one of the most unexpected transactions in the history of professional sports… and as we can see from the range of reactions online and around the NBA tonight, this is one of the rare cases where it was completely unanticipated by even the participants themselves.
We’ll see if any other move can top it before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
For more on this trade, check out our Mavericks reaction from Mavs Moneyball, and the Lakers perspective at Silver Screen and Roll.
