In case you’re an ‘early to bed early to rise’ person, the NBA landscape has just turned upside down in your sleep. Pinch yourself, the Lakers have traded Anthony Davis. Pinch yourself again because Luka Doncic is now purple and gold. One would think how on earth LeBron let his best bud AD go. But the thing is, LeBron never knew about it. He was just as shocked about it as the rest of the world and now his true feelings over it have emerged.

Playing with Luka Doncic is a no-brainer for any player in the league. The future MVP of the league is in his prime years and pairing him with LeBron James is something out of story books. That’s the same feeling for LeBron as well. Brian Windhorst on Sportscenter revealed that playing with Luka Doncic is something he dreamed about. “LeBron has dreamed about playing with Luka Doncic for years. This is something he never thought, but he badly, badly wanted,” the insider said.

LeBron’s fascination with the Slovenian is a long-standing feeling. “When Luka was deciding where he was going to go within Nike, LeBron pressed him very hard to come to his shoe brand within Nike. He ended up going with the Jordan brand, but he was trying to recruit him then. Then, he saw a vision of the two of them playing together,” Windy added.

Even Luka’s Batman, Kyrie Irving knew about LeBron‘s this weakness. Last summer, Kyrie wanted to reunite with his former Cavs teammate and enticed him with the prospect of playing with Luka. The 40-year-old wanted Kyrie to come to LA instead. Things however, never materialized. “I haven’t spoken to him or heard from him, but I have to assume that he will have a lot of excitement because he has dreamed of this, and I’m sure he thought it was never going to happen in his career,” the ESPN reporter concluded. Now finally, the opportunity is in the grasp of the King. While LeBron is now closer than ever to making his dream come true, one small inconvenience stands in his way. And that is the most unexpected one-a betrayal.

Unexpected betrayal for LeBron James surfaces after blockbuster Luka Doncic trade

One can easily claim LeBron James is the only kingpin in LA. Every decision of the franchise goes through him and a green light from him was required too in the Doncic trade. That up until now has been proved wrong as multiple sources have confirmed that the 21-time NBA All-Star had no prior knowledge about it. But a close confidant of LeBron knew about it all along and yet did not alert James. The person in question is Rich Paul.

According to Chris Haynes, the deal was constructed in the last 48 hours and the Mavs initiated it. “I was told the Mavericks initiated this. They contacted the Lakers, and I was told that the Lakers reached out to Rich Paul after the inquiry from the Dallas Mavericks,” Haynes stated in one of his briefs on social media.

Rich Paul also represents Anthony Davis and facilitated the move. But he kept it under the wraps. Even after last night’s Lakers win over the Knicks, LeBron spoke of AD as their best player. Everything indicated that LeBron is only waiting for Davis to be healthy again. Little did he know that he had played his last game alongside the center.

Haynes also highlighted Mavs GM, Nico Harrison’s ‘tight’ relationship with Davis. Harrison used to be AD’s Nike representative. The 31-year-old is also familiar with Jason Kidd, who coached him during the Lakers’ championship winning 2020 season.

Coming back to Doncic, the 25-year-old is currently nursing his left calf strain and is still some way off making his on-court return. There’s still no date on the return but it will be a grand occasion in LA alongside LeBron James. That is if LeBron stays beyond the trade deadline on Feb 6. As it is, if Luka Doncic can get traded, then anyone in the league can be traded. The Lakers’ decision to move away from Davis is certainly an indication that the franchise is looking at the future. Whether LeBron will be a part of that is a discussion for another day.