The Luka Doncic trade took place two and a half months ago, but people are still trying to wrap their heads around it. It's a trade that was so big it has its own Wikipedia page and it is still fresh enough in everyone's mind that people are still talking about it on podcasts on the eve of the NBA playoffs.
On Monday's edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Sports Guy revealed to Ryen Russillo that he had heard people caught wind of the deal earlier than previously reported. Before Shams Charania sent out a tweet that people assumed was posted by someone who had hacked his account, news spread around the NBA and no one in league circles believed it then either.
"So, I got more intel on that trade. It was a known thing 90 minutes before the trade," Simmons revealed. "It was done 90 minutes before it was actually announced. Maybe a little more than that."
Russillo pointed out that part wasn't unusual before Simmons continued.
"But they tried to make it seem like nobody knew until the very last second," Simmons explained. "I think way more people knew. And I think it got around the league a little bit before it actually got reported. I think the consensus was there’s no way this is true because that can’t be what Dallas got for Luka. This has to be some sort of.. there’s no way. This can’t be true. And then it was true. Because the instant reaction is wait, they’re trading Luka? Why didn’t they shop him? And then the second one is wait, Reaves isn’t in this? That’s the whole trade? That was the second thing and then how they hid it from everybody and didn’t shop it. I guess. We’re gonna be talking about it forever. It’s one of the seminal moments of the 21st Century in the National Basketball Association. This stupid trade they made.”
No matter how many minute details come out about the trade, it doesn't seem like we'll ever find anyone who did believe Luka Doncic had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers the first time they heard the news. And who knows how long it will take for people to stop talking about it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Simmons Say Luka Doncic Trade Leaked Early and Other Teams Didn’t Believe It.
