The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the heist of the century, however one of many events in all probability regrets their involvement.
The Los Angeles Lakers made arguably the most important commerce in NBA historical past. The 17-time NBA champions despatched Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a bundle that introduced them Luka Doncic.
The transfer despatched shockwaves all through the complete league. Nobody noticed it coming. Lakers legend Magic Johnson is an enormous fan of the Luka Doncic commerce, making a daring prediction for his stint in LA.
With a commerce this spontaneous, it’s laborious to hint the origins. Some have speculated that an incident in 2023 birthed the concept of Doncic becoming a member of the Lakers.
Nonetheless, once we dig into the main points of this commerce, we see that the Lakers truly pulled the wool over certainly one of their companions’ eyes. And in hindsight, possibly they wouldn’t have agreed to the deal.
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Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN made a complete report concerning the Luka Doncic commerce. Within the report, they gave some particulars concerning the Utah Jazz‘s involvement within the deal.
It seems the Lakers withheld necessary info from the Jazz. Danny Ainge didn’t even know that they have been serving to the Lakers commerce for Luka Doncic. In reality, he discovered solely half-hour earlier than the deal, and by then it was too late to again out.
“Even the Utah Jazz, the third workforce that facilitated the transaction by amassing two second-round picks for absorbing Jalen Hood-Schifino, didn’t know Doncic and Davis have been part of the deal till about an hour earlier than it was accomplished, league sources mentioned.”
“Even Jazz president Danny Ainge, who hails from the Lakers’ hated rival, the Boston Celtics, had about solely half-hour discover, sources mentioned, that Los Angeles was about to amass Doncic to be the brand new face of its franchise. However by then, it was too late to do a lot about it.”
Danny Ainge not understanding about Doncic being concerned makes a whole lot of sense. The Lakers have been determined to land Walker Kessler, however Ainge made Kessler unavailable for commerce.
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It wasn’t simply Danny Ainge who was stored in the dead of night. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka didn’t let anybody know concerning the particulars of the commerce.
He and Mavericks GM Nico Harrison stored their playing cards near the vest. Not doing so would have jeopardized the deal.
The deal itself was so outrageous that Rob Pelinka thought that Harrison was joking when he first pitched it.
In the long run, Lakers followers are proper to be ecstatic concerning the commerce. Doncic, on his day, is a top-three participant within the NBA.
And for the subsequent few years to come back, he would be the face of the Los Angeles Lakers. Oh, how candy it have to be to be a Lakers fan proper now.
