This trade really has so many layers. So much depth.
Enormous figures involved: Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson. A back-room deal under the cover of darkness, one like we haven’t seen since the Baltimore Colts skipped town.
The Lakers and Hollywood. Slovenia and Texas. Alcohol and weight loss. A Las Vegas billionaire and a pending $350 million bill. A legend in the making with a reigning king.
Basketball fans will feast on this trade for years.
People will remember where they were when ESPN’s Shams Charania delivered the news, at 9:12 p.m. on the West Coast. Kevin Durant was on the bench. Stephen Curry was at a charity poker tournament. LeBron James was at dinner.
Some dad was trying not to yell and awaken his family. Some romantic evening was interrupted. Some video game session ended.
Many were asleep, their fix waiting for them in the morning. Then they went and discussed it over brunch and at church and at the dog park.
On a random Saturday night, the NBA flexed. This weekend declared the league’s perennial magnetism. For all the criticism it endures, all the talk of declining ratings and waning interest, the NBA can still break the internet better than Kim Kardashian. How to fix the NBA has become a national conversation. Shorter season. Fewer 3-pointers. More defense. Even commissioner Adam Silver is pedaling less product as a solution.
And, out of nowhere, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said, “Hold my beer” — presumably to Michael Finley.
GO FURTHER
With Luka Dončić trade, NBA again proves it does drama better than anyone
