SI

Shams Charania Says Blockbuster Luka-AD Trade ‘Materialized in the Shadows’

The ESPN reporter addressed one of the most stunning NBA trades in history.

Patrick Andres

Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis after the Mavericks' 107–104 overtime loss to the Lakers on Dec. 15, 2021.
Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis after the Mavericks' 107–104 overtime loss to the Lakers on Dec. 15, 2021. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks turned the NBA world on its head, as a trade for the ages sent guard Luka Doncic to the former team and center Anthony Davis to the latter.

The nitty-gritty of the deal was shocking enough, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported a further element to the deal that defied comprehension: neither of its principals, nor uber-connected Lakers forward LeBron James, knew it was coming.

"I'm told Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, LeBron James—the players, coaches... had no idea. I can assuredly tell you, it's a fact, LeBron James had no idea this was coming," Charania said.

That tracks with reporting from Charania's ESPN colleague, Dave McMenamin, who said James was taken by surprise while eating dinner with his family.

"This deal materialized in the shadows. This came out of nowhere," Charania said. "Definitely the most stunning trade that I've been a part of in recent NBA history."

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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