Luka Dončić entered Saturday seemingly secure as the star of the Dallas Mavericks for the next decade. Anthony Davis entered Saturday as the co-star to LeBron James as the Los Angeles Lakers dreamed of another championship.
By the end of the day, or the start of the next day for those on the East Coast, it had all changed. No one was ready, not even the NBA’s top players. They might have been the ones shocked most of all.
At 12:12 a.m. ET on Sunday, or 9:12 a.m. PT on Saturday, ESPN’s Shams Charania posted one of the most surprising tweets in a career built on breaking the NBA’s biggest stories: a three-team trade, centered around a swap of Dončić and Davis.
It was so unbelievable that Charania felt the need to include the words, “Yes, this is real,” in a follow-up tweet.
Yes, this is real. Sources tell ESPN: Full trade:
– Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
– Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 LAL 1st
– Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd, 2025 Mavericks 2nd https://t.co/bltojdTaQj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025
Dončić and Davis both reportedly had no idea the trade was coming, nor did LeBron James, whose reputation as the Lakers’ shadow GM just took a hit. In his first public reaction to the move, James forcefully denied a report that he had grown frustrated with Davis.
Some people still thought Charania was hacked, but reporters from both the Los Angeles Times and the Dallas Morning News confirmed it on their end. It was happening, and it made even less sense than what you normally see from the NBA.
Some NBA players needed the internet to repeat itself.
Some speculated what many were saying, that some insidious hacker had taken over Charania’s account and posted the most unhinged yet slightly believable trade they could think of.
I can’t tell what’s real and fake anymore on these apps. Luka really going to the lakers or nah ?
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 2, 2025
And some were just plain shocked.
The trade gets particularly incredible when you view it from the Dallas side. The Mavericks had a 25-year-old who had made every All-NBA first team since his rookie year. He was the face of the franchise and the future of the franchise. He had his issues with conditioning, but just made his first NBA Finals.
Dallas fans believed in Dončić, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a Texas native eight days from playing in the Super Bowl. He was not happy.
As for Dirk Nowitzki, the Hall of Famer whom Dončić replaced as the centerpiece of the Mavericks, he had just one emoji to share.
Elsewhere, the reception of Dallas’ enormous gamble was … not positive.
I have never seen so many team executives not involved in this trade stunned.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 2, 2025
Luka went for less than Mikal Bridges
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) February 2, 2025
Imagine the phone call
Mavs- “we want AD”
Lakers- “not available”
Mavs- “for Luka”
Lakers- “AD will be there in the morning”
— Tony Niehaus (@BigT44DFS) February 2, 2025
most unexpected and also dumbest move i have ever seen in my entire career
— tim cato (@tim_cato) February 2, 2025
I still don’t understand why they wouldn’t shop him.
— Brendan Vogt (@BrendanVogt) February 2, 2025
I’ve been covering the NBA for 37 years. Almost nothing that happens – deals, free agent signings, coach hirings/firings – rises to the level of, as the great Ben Bradlee used to call them, “Holy S–t” stories. You just get used to the unexpected.
This is a “Holy S–t” trade.— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 2, 2025
Imagine Nico Harrison watching the entire basketball universe thinking Shams was hacked rather than believe you actually made that trade
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) February 2, 2025
Did the Mavs front office get replaced by Skrulls?
— David Brandon (@birdrightsnba) February 2, 2025
Would Mark Cuban have traded Luka?
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 2, 2025
we don’t care about no jimmy butler trade anymore. the heat can go ahead and just waive him. we talking about this trade for the next 48 months.
— alex (@steven_lebron) February 2, 2025