"Jason Kidd didn't know about it" - Mavericks GM reveals behind-the-scenes details of Luka Doncic trade talks with Rob Pelinka

Luka Doncic being moved overnight to the Lakers has set the sporting world ablaze, with fans and players alike still processing the news that shook the NBA world. Not many would have imagined seeing Doncic in a Lakers jersey, just a few months after guiding the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era.

Everyone was left questioning the why and the how of the trade in the immediate aftermath of the earth-shattering move that rocked the NBA community. There was only one man capable of providing the answers everyone demanded and it was Dallas Mavericks general manager and president of basketball operations, Nico Harrison.

The shocker of a trade was pulled off in extreme secrecy with even the Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd being unaware of it, Harrison revealed on Sunday. Harrison spoke about how the deal went down while sitting next to Kidd. He gave his flowers to Rob Pelinka - his Lakers' counterpart, for keeping the trade a secret.

"I'd like to give Rob Pelinka a lot of credit," Harrison said. "Trades don't happen at the smallest level without stuff getting out. And Rob and I were able to have these really intense conversations over the course of three or four weeks that started out as a coffee. ...We had to keep it tight. J-Kidd didn't know about it. But J-Kidd and I are aligned."

Luka Doncic did not request a trade away from the Dallas Mavericks

The sudden nature of the trade and the sheer shock value of it prompted some to believe that Luka may have pushed for a move away. However,Mavs GM Nico Harrison spoke about how the move was orchestrated by the front office without the superstar's knowledge.

Luka Doncic will be reunited with former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith at LA - Source: Getty

In trading away Luka Doncic, some analysts feel that the Mavericks have lost the trade, while Nico Harrison strongly seems to believe otherwise. Harrison was a former Nike executive and was reportedly the individual responsible for botching the sales pitch to Stephen Curry which ended up seeing Curry eventually sign with Under Armour in a historic move.

While he is clearly one to make bold decisions, Harrison would be desperate to not add a Luka-sized fumble to the Steph-sized one in his track record. The GM would be hoping that the Kyrie Irving - Anthony Davis tandem is good enough to push the Mavericks into immediate contention.

As for Rob Pelinka, keeping the trade talks a secret made complete sense as the Lakers acquired someone regarded as untradeable league-wide without having to compete with other teams.

The Lakers were dealt the opportunity of a lifetime to pair Luka Doncic with LeBron James, and they went all-in. Exciting times lie ahead for the Lakers as they look set to make further moves to improve the roster towards contention on the back of locking up two of the best all-around players in today's game.