The trade sending Slovenian star Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis started taking shape three or four weeks ago in Texas. It all began with a meeting between Nico Harrison and Rob Pelinka, sealed with a pact of silence, according to the Lakers' general manager.

"It all started over coffee in Dallas, when Nico (GM of the Mavericks) approached us with the idea," Pelinka explained during Dončić's official introduction as a new Lakers player, a trade that has sent shockwaves through the NBA.

The Key: Trust and Discretion

Both executives knew each other well, having worked together with Kobe Bryant—Pelinka as his agent and Harrison at Nike. "Because of our relationship and the experience we shared traveling the world with Kobe, there was already a foundation of trust in our talks," Pelinka said.

The Lakers GM revealed that both he and Harrison knew they’d face countless obstacles to making the trade happen, so they agreed to keep everything under wraps. "From the start, it was made clear that these discussions could only happen between owners and general managers. If we broke that agreement by talking to anyone else, this day would have never come," he stated.

A Process Full of Challenges

After that first meeting, Pelinka immediately called Jeanie Buss, owner of the Lakers, who was thrilled about the possibility of making the deal happen. "She was incredibly excited and hopeful that we could pull it off," the GM said.

He also admitted that during negotiations, "problems came up that seemed impossible to overcome," but both franchises worked through them with the shared goal of finalizing the trade.