LeBron James faces a new reality in L.A. after being blindsided by the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The man who prides himself on seeing the play two plays ahead couldn’t see the biggest no-look pass in NBA history, as LeBron James still seemed in a state of shock in the aftermath of the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade.

One could argue James would be equal parts staggered and intrigued, paired with a talent like Dončić but shipping out Davis, the player James helped bring to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 — the player who gave James a new lease on life at the time, the player who helped James become a champion for the fourth time.

“I’ve seen it all … until this one,” James said. “I’ve never been part of a transaction like that. That was different.”

The word “transaction” feels so sterile, from James’ perspective. For the Lakers, it’s business and they found their new moneymaker. For James, losing Davis was more than just a transaction —the two have grown close through their time in L.A., their bond strengthening through the pressure that comes with being a Laker.

The two talked over FaceTime on Saturday night when James received the news at a family dinner, and said it didn’t seem real until he saw Dončić around the team, and Davis at a Dallas Mavericks shootaround in Philadelphia earlier in the day.

“That’s when it finally hit me, like, oh s***, this is real,” James said.

The Lakers’ move for Luka Doncic signals a shift in power in Los Angeles. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

It also signals, at least in some way, that the Lakers no longer consider James’ wishes first and foremost. One assumes there has to be some plausible deniability in not keeping James in the loop when talks started to get serious, given the nature of the James-Davis friendship and the fact they share an agent, Rich Paul.

Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss were clearly in on it, cheerful listeners to the Dallas Mavericks’ pitch. And at some point, if not before Saturday’s game against the New York Knicks, head coach JJ Redick was clued in.

It’s usually not a triumvirate, but in this case it was a secret club of three.

Usually he’s in on the joke, not a believer that the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lebron-james-faces-a-new-reality-in-la-after-being-blindsided-by-the-luka-doncic-anthony-davis-trade-084221459.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-05 08:43:00

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