As Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis swap in a blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers caused a quake of heavy magnitude in the NBA world, several reactions poured on the decision.
LeBron James’s agent Rich Paul was the latest to comment on the trade as the shockwave of the bombshell report still has its impact even after Doncic and Davis’ debut in their respective new teams.
LeBron James welcomed Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers with open arms when the NBA world was left stunned after one of the most unexpected trades in recent history. Even Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent and one of the most influential figures in the NBA was blindsided by the move.
Paul admitted he was completely in the dark until the trade was finalized. Speaking on Gilbert Arena’s podcast, he shared, “99.9 percent of the time, I’m going to know what’s going on. The one time I didn’t was the one time we all didn’t.”
He added, “It was a shock to everybody, who was in it was a shock. I always knew the affinity that was had for AD from Nico’s perspective. So the destination wasn’t really a shock. The timing of it was a shock and who was involved was a shock. But you don’t move mountains with everybody knowing. You can’t. So I’m glad I didn’t know. I’m glad whoever else didn’t know because it probably wouldn’t happened if you did know because now you start to open up the opinions and the can of worms. So you can’t get those things done without people knowing.”
Paul’s admission just proved how discreet this negotiation was. Normally, player agents are informed about potential deals, especially when they involve their high-profile clients. However, this trade was handled so privately that not even LeBron James saw it coming. The Lakers superstar was caught off-guard when he first heard the news.
“My emotions were all over the place. The first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake,” James revealed. “I thought it was a hoax. People messing around or whatever. But AD FaceTimed me, and I talked to him for quite a while. Even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real.”
While this trade shakes up the NBA landscape, it hasn’t been universally welcomed, especially in Dallas. The Mavericks fans have expressed outrage at the decision to trade their star player. The organization is now under intense scrutiny.
Paul, for his part, acknowledged that in the NBA, no player is ever truly untouchable. “Look, obviously, anybody can be traded. We see that, right? Even if you have [a no-trade clause], and somebody is saying they want to trade you, you still don’t feel warned at that point because you know they want to trade you,” he shared adding, “So, it doesn’t matter. … It may protect you from going somewhere you don’t wanna go but, in this case, you are still going to be traded or you still feel unwanted.”