Something weird just happened in the NBA. That’s the only way to explain it. One minute, Anthony Davis was the face of the Lakers. The next, he was gone. Just like that. Superstars usually stick around for a decade, maybe more. But AD? Six seasons, and Rob Pelinka pulled the plug. Why? Because he wanted Luka Doncic. Bold move. Maybe reckless. This wasn’t just a front-office shuffle. No way. Jeanie Buss had to be in on it. Moves like this don’t happen without the boss signing off.

Jeanie Buss was celebrating. Anthony Davis? Not so much. His big move might have crashed his date night with Marlen Polanco! Talk about bad timing! One day, he was a Laker. The next, he was packing for Dallas. No warning. No heads-up. Just a shock to the brain. On his first day with the Mavericks, the 31-year-old finally shared how it all went down ‘that’ evening.

“I was shocked. Like I said, I didn’t know,” Anthony Davis said.

The former Laker was settling in for movie night with his wife. Then, his phone rang. And, just like that, everything changed. “I had no idea.” AD had just texted the team — “Congratulations on the win against the Knicks, a big win”—and was already thinking ahead. “Looking forward to Tuesday’s game against the Clippers for our standing purposes.” Then, an hour later? “I was no longer with the team.” No warning. No heads-up. Just disbelief. “I was in shock, obviously.” But now? “I’m kind of over it.”

AD is looking forward to working alongside Kyrie Irving and he feels the Mavs GM, “Nico believes in me.” He sees the value. He knows what I bring. “What I can add to this team. We talked”—about a lot, Davis shared. “I don’t know about everything that we talked about out there,” but one thing’s clear. “We’re both extremely excited about what we can do.”

The goal? Simple. “A great opportunity to win championships.”

This is Anthony Davis’ chance to take center stage in Dallas. Meanwhile, the Lakers GM finally revealed how the deal came together. Since he has known Nico Harrison for decades, their connection played a key role. Plus, working alongside the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, only fueled their championship ambitions.

Rob Pelinka’s master plan and Jeanie Buss’ enthusiasm transferred Anthony Davis from LA to Dallas

Heartbroken Luka Doncic is an official Laker starting Tuesday. The press conference is done. GM Rob Pelinka and HC JJ Redick presented the Slovenian star with his No.77 jersey. But that wasn’t the end. Of course, the media wanted to know what happened that led to the front office’s massive decision with Anthony Davis. Did Jeanie Buss know, and how did she react to the big news?

It all started with a coffee in Dallas, where Nico pitched the idea to Pelinka. Something was brewing in the Mavericks’ GM’s mind. Surely he had Anthony Davis in his thoughts, or maybe not. “A partnership in a history of traveling the world” made it possible, Pelinka stated.

In case you’re wondering, the Purple and Gold GM refers to his two-decade corporate-esque relationship with the Mavs GM. Back then, Harrison was a Nike executive and Pelinka was a player agent.

But the Luka negotiations weren’t smooth sailing—“248 insurmountable snags” along the way. Still, they kept going. “You just keep going, stay committed to the work.” Moreover, it wasn’t about who won or lost, just getting it done.

“I try to approach a negotiation in the sense of how do we build a partnership where we can get to the end?” Pelinka tried explaining.

Well, that was the goal, and it shaped the entire process! “When the concept was initially introduced to us, it was, ‘Hey, the only way we can even have these discussions was, if it’s between owner and GMs and there was a commitment to that.'”

That commitment mattered. “If we broke that commitment by talking to anyone else, this day would never happen.” Trust? That was the foundation. So, after the coffee in Dallas, “I call Jeanie,” bringing her in right away, as he always does. “Her and I have a really strong working relationship,” built on sharing everything “in real-time.” Therefore, it felt like a no-brainer for the owner.

“She was extraordinarily excited and hopeful that we could get to the end, which we were able to do!” Pelinka concluded.

Who would deny a player like Luka Doncic? NO ONE. Thus an excited Jeanie Buss gave the deal a nod, and here we are!

Therefore, it is Anthony Davis, who’s facing the consequences of the Lakers front office’s odd decision. Or maybe, it wasn’t so odd in the first place. It is time for both Luka Doncic and AD to shine in their new teams. Well, don’t expect the first few days to be easy. However, knowing the kind of talent they bring to the floor, it’d be a delight to watch them play, as always.