“I was shocked.” Oblivious to what was happening behind the scenes, Anthony Davis was about to watch a movie with his wife when he found out that Rob Pelinka traded him. A move of this magnitude had to be made in the shadows for it to go down successfully. That’s why even LeBron James had no idea what Pelinka was up to.

“The first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake,” LBJ told the media. Turns out, even AD and LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, was as clueless as the rest of the world!

Addressing the blockbuster move, Paul said, “This one was a shock. And again, the timing of it was a shock, who was involved was a shock, (but) the destination was not a shock, just based upon the relationship.” Well, never before in league history have two reigning All-NBA players been exchanged for each other mid-season.

Moreover, everyone believed Luka was one of the few superstars with ‘untouchable’ status because of what he brings to the table. Even Davis was having an incredible season and had led the Lakers to the fifth seed in the West. But it looks like Mavs GM Nico Harrison had his eyes set on AD for quite some time, as Paul revealed in an interview with Kevin Gray Jr., “AD has been someone that Nico has coveted since he got the job, so that’s not a shock to me.”

While the city of Dallas is furious at the Mavs management and ownership after the shocking move, Nico has complete faith in his decision. “We really feel that defense wins championships,” the man pointedly said. “And we think the players that we’re bringing in add to the culture, which is important to what J-Kidd and I have been building here from day one. And then obviously, when you get an all-NBA player who’s also a first-team All-Defensive player, we think that’s gonna help us where we need it the most, on the defensive end.”

As unbelievable as the trade was, adding AD does make the Mavs a more win-now team. Obviously, Luka’s defense and conditioning were a major concern during last year’s playoff run. But Davis solves that issue as he is an elite two-way player, averaging 25.7 points and nearly twelve rebounds. While Paul and LBJ have hinted at not knowing about the trade before it happened, many still cannot believe that they were unaware, considering their massive influence.

However, NBA legend Carmelo Anthony believes that was the only way this deal could have been done.

Carmelo Anthony claims LeBron James and Rich Paul “Couldn’t Know” about Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade

Well, Melo was as shocked by the trade as everyone else. And he talked about how such sudden moves can affect the psyche of a player, “I hate the thought process of like you could be traded without knowing.”

Moreover, he was rather skeptical about LeBron and Rich knowing beforehand. “I just don’t think he knew… In order to make certain s— happen, I can’t put certain people in these situations to actually have influence to f— this up. LeBron couldn’t have, he couldn’t know. Rich Paul couldn’t know. Nobody else could know.”

Yes, more people knowing about Pelinka and Harrison’s plan would have increased the chances of the deal falling apart. And Carmelo also reminded that deals being made without putting LBJ in the loop is nothing new as that’s also how Pat Riley used to operate when Bron was playing for the Miami Heat. Well, that’s how front offices function at times when they are planning something this huge.

What’s done is done and it’s time for everyone to come to terms with reality. Sure enough, Paul had friendly advice for the furious Mavs fans who have been against this trade from Day one, “Just be open-minded. This is a very good team.”

Of course, Davis cannot replace Doncic and maybe he doesn’t even want to. What he does want is to win a championship with his new team. And if ‘The Brow’ does that, Nico’s decision might not look so bad after all. Do you agree?