Bronny James Broke Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis Trade News to Lakers Teammates: Report

The news reports that on February 2, 2025, in the lead-up to the NBA trade deadline, a trade involving Los Angeles Lakers guard Anthony Davis and Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic was unexpectedly announced. The news broke without prior warning when ESPN's Shams Charania posted about it on social media platform X.

According to details from Yaron Weitzman's book "A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers," Lakers player Bronny James was the first to share Charania's post in the team's group chat among players, making him the initial source of the information within the team.

Upon learning the news, Anthony Davis reacted by questioning if he had been traded, while his teammate LeBron James expressed shock with "WTF?" and Austin Reaves speculated that Davis might be joking about the situation.

The trade was finalized through private negotiations between Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, with no other teams involved. Pelinka then informed Anthony Davis and head coach J.J. Redick in a joint call, followed by notifications to Davis' agent Rich Paul and finally LeBron James about the deal.

The secrecy of the negotiations allowed the trade to proceed suddenly, as both parties feared it could fall through if players or the league became aware prematurely. Ultimately, the swap of superstars stunned the NBA, and the Lakers players appeared to have discovered the news through Bronny James' message in the group chat.