Brian Windhorst reveals JJ Redick’s suspicious behavior before blockbuster Luka Doncic trade: “JJ knew”

Did JJ Redick and Jason Kidd, the coaches of the LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, know about the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade? This is one of the questions that have been asked regarding the move that shook the NBA during this year's trade deadline.

In fact, there have been questions about which individuals were privy to this information before it was announced to the public. A story told by ESPN's Brian Windhorst on the latest episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," published on Friday, sheds more light on this situation.

According to Windhorst's story, Redick's actions before the announcement suggest that he already knew.

"One of my ESPN colleagues ran into JJ Redick in New York," Windhorst said.

He continues his story by saying that his colleague greeted Redick and he responded by saying he needed to go on a walk to clear his head.

"He excused himself and kept going," Windhorst said. "And so, JJ knew and went out for a walk." (2:07:16-2:07:42)

On Feb. 1, the LA Lakers traveled to New York to face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Lakers trounced the Knicks 128-112 despite not having Anthony Davis in their lineup.

Davis was out due to an abdominal muscle strain, which he reportedly sustained against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 28. As such, he did not travel with the Lakers to New York.

On Feb. 2, league insider Shams Charania announced the trade on X (formerly Twitter).

As the Lakers' coach, it makes sense for JJ Redick to have known about the trade. The same goes for Jason Kidd and other front office and certain coaching staff members on either side.

However, there still isn't any clarity on how early they were told. Redick might have only learned about the trade after their win against the Knicks. Alternatively, he might have known while it was still being discussed, but it doesn't mean that he helped make decisions.

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JJ Redick's interview following the Luka Doncic trade suggests he only found out on the same day

Naturally, JJ Redick was asked by the media about the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade. Journalist Allie Clifton got a chance to speak with the Lakers' coach after the deal was made official.

During that interview, Redick shared when he was informed that the deal was happening.

"Obviously I got word that day that it was happening," Redick said. "Certainly a lot of mixed emotions. Particuarly around the loss of family members, (Anthony Davis), Max (Christie), Jalen (Hood-Schifino), they were part of our family."

This particular trade appears to have been done with utmost secrecy. There were no indications that Davis was being traded. Rumors suggested that the Lakers were looking for a center to pair with him.

Meanwhile, Doncic had not given any indication that he wanted to leave Dallas or that he was unhappy. They had just come off a Finals trip and fans expected them to try to pursue another deep postseason run.

The Utah Jazz, the third team that helped facilitate the trade, reportedly had no idea that Doncic or Davis were part of the deal. Utah's CEO of basketball operations and alternate governor, Danny Ainge, supposedly only learned about the superstars who were involved in the trade 30 minutes before it happened.