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Jeanie Buss explains why Los Angeles Lakers kept Luka Doncic trade completely secret: “Nobody knew”
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- Jeanie Buss explains why Los Angeles Lakers kept Luka Doncic trade completely secret: “Nobody knew”
When the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off arguably the most shocking trade of all time when they acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks last year, everyone was equally surprised by how both organizations kept it a secret for so long.
After all, it was one of the best players in the league at his prime, joining one of the most iconic organizations in sports. In an age where even minor trade discussions leak within hours, the Luka trade had no prior rumors, leaks, or buildup, which added its own sort of mythology.
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Which is why, when Shams Charania broke the news that Doncic was being traded to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis , Max Christie and a future first-round pick, everyone thought it was a joke.
According to team governor and one of the masterminds behind the deal, Jeanie Buss , the deal's secrecy was always by design. She knew that even the slightest of rumors could have impeded the franchise's most important trade of the decade.
"To get a player of great value, you have to give up a player of great value. And Dallas wanted Anthony Davis, and he was on our team," Buss said . "And so conversations started, but it was important that they remain private and didn't leak out to the media because if a player is made aware of a pending trade, it could crater your entire season."
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Keeping quiet
The reality today is that the league and its media thrive on information leaks. Agents, executives and even players have often turned trade discussions into public theater before anything materializes. And thus, with the players and organizations involved, secrecy was required.
The Lakers were still built around the dominant duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis at that time. But in a Western Conference that was emerging with new superstars and recent years of playoff disappointments, the Los Angeles front office knew it was time to shake things up. Little did they know, however, that there was even an opportunity to bring in Doncic, who had just led the Mavericks to the Finals a year prior.
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What added to the shock factor was how few in the front office knew about the negotiations. Buss revealed that even Doncic, Davis, and James were unaware of the trade , along with a slew of others in both teams' front offices. Only a few confirmed people were in the loop by design, as one person could have derailed the complex negotiations, including the Lakers' governor, who specified one person.
"Getting a player of Luka's caliber and being at the beginning end of his career was just an extraordinary opportunity, but it required a lot of strategy and a lot of small steps in order to pull it off," shared Buss.
"And Rob Pelinka, our general manager, was able to do all of that without leaking to the media because I think Mark Cuban might have jumped in front of a train to keep it from happening," she added. "Nobody knew."
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As hyperbolic as Buss sounds, it was really true. If former team owner Mark Cuban, or perhaps any other member of the Mavericks organization, had known of the deal Nico Harriosn was making, Doncic would still be a Maverick.
Patience like poker
As beneficial as the trade was for the Lakers, it was also personally meaningful for Buss herself. After years of being criticized by fans for not taking the big gambles her father, the legendary Jerry Buss, did to capture success, the deal she admits was also proving to everyone that she could turn in a winning hand.
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"Where my dad was trying to teach that to me was being a poker player. Because he would say, 'Jeanie, people think poker is about the cards, but it's really not. It's about being patient, but once you have the right cards, you have to know when to go from zero to 100," she recalled.
"And he said, 'I know you have the patience, but I'm not sure you have the ability to put your foot on the gas.' And I like to think that I proved that to him many times now," added Jeanie.
Patience allowed Buss, Pelinka and the other architects of the trade to quietly seal the deal and the Lakers' future. Whether the franchise wins another championship with LeBron and Doncic at the helm remains to be seen, but the fact that the duo exists is, in many ways, a win for the front office in itself and a representation that anything can still happen in the league today.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
