No one expected it, only three people knew that Luka Dončić, who led Dallas to the grand finals, would move to the LA Lakers, and that center Anthony Davis would go in the opposite direction.
Especially since the first NBA star, LeBron James, kept repeating that he lacked more height in his team for a new title, and Montenegrin center Nikola Vučević was expected to join Davis...
However, the bosses of Dallas, Lakers and Utah had a different plan. The Jazz jumped into the trade, because what kind of exchange would it be without the participation of the first "Jazzer" Danny Ainge.
Even LeBron James "cursed" when they hinted to him that he knew and was against Davis staying on the team.
The Lakers went through a difficult period between Kobe Bryant's last season and LeBron James' first - it was the longest period of failure in the club's history. The Lakers have a rich history of bringing in the best, MVP players from other clubs - Wilt Chamberlain from Philadelphia in 1968, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from Milwaukee in 1975, Shaq O'Neal from Orlando in 1996...
And not to mention other great players like Howard, Gasol, Nash, Davis...
LeBron is 40 years old and about to retire, and the Lakers didn't want to put all their hopes and burden on Davis, who will turn 32 in March. In addition, Davis is under a max contract starting next season, which would make him the fourth highest-paid player in the league.
The most popular basketball club would certainly go for a new star soon, maybe even Shay Gilges-Alexander from Oklahoma, because he does not have a long-term contract, but with Dončić it is easier to get another big superstar, and the Lakers benefit from the 25-year-old Slovenian in terms of image and finances.
And what does Dallas get? The Mavericks would have to make Dončić the highest-paid player in history in the summer - 345 million by 2031, and the loss in the finals showed that a better-balanced team wins the championship ring. Dallas has too many offensive options, and Dončić is getting injured more often due to his excess weight (122 kilograms) and has played only 22 of 49 games.
Dallas brought in Klay Thompson to help Doncic, who, however, was spending more time with beer than in training... There's also Kyrie Irving, and due to Utah's influence and Davis' decision to forgo a 13 percent "trade" bonus, Dallas won't have to pay extra luxury tax because it was 5,1 million above the allowed spending limit.
Only Kevin Durant's disbelief on the bench, when a teammate showed him the information on his cell phone, is a clear sign that no one is untouchable anymore - the NBA clearly wants to reduce the influence of stars in favor of the clubs.
"It's big business, and it's not up to us to complain. We have incredibly high salaries," the Phoenix superstar shrugged.
C.J. McCollum from New Orleans was clearer.
"I don't understand where the truth is and where the lie is anymore. Is Luka really going to the Lakers? Now I have to pack my bags just in case. If Don is traded, only God knows what could happen," the New Orleans basketball player wrote on social media.
And Dončić's arrival has also changed the bookmakers' view, so the Lakers' title odds have now dropped from 41 to 22.
Dallas was at odds of 19 for a championship ring, now it's at 41. Analysts think differently.
"King James will be a Utah, without the height he sought, this team cannot reach the ring. Against his wishes, the Lakers have turned to the future," laments Steven Aismith, editor of ESPN.
And the Lakers are clearly just building a team for the future, because the first pick in the 2027 draft goes to Utah, but it belongs to the "Lakers" and the Jazz are once again a club that traditionally helps the great dynasty from the City of Angels.
Bonus video:
