Shock and Awe: How Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade sent a newsroom into a state of upheaval 

Luka Doncic getting traded to the Lakers feels like a fever dream. For many of us, it actually was. For the first 4-7 minutes Shams Charania's career-defining tweet felt like a ruse. "It's fake," we all thought and called him out. He followed it up, with even more details of the trade and we all thought, "It cannot be".

But as the minutes passed more and more confirmations flooded in and in a flash, reality set in. Dallas Mavericks had really traded a superstar entering his prime for another megastar. The baffling decision had no time to sit with us, for as a newsroom we had to be on our toes. We gathered intelligence and pushed out 20 news articles at breakneck speed.

All in all, all the furor over the trade had been covered but we were awestruck by it so much so that in the midst of this, all any of us could wonder and think about was how true this was. Ideas started flying in and out and our team's brainstorming was even better than ever. Despite the utter shock value, we managed to execute everything perfectly.

However, there were plenty of questions that burned in our stomachs. Let's see if we can answer them all.

Why was Luka Doncic traded?

Now, it is not like the reasons for this are unclear and we have plenty of it to dissect from but it is a question that will sit with us for the longest because of the sheer absurdity of the decision.

A 25-year-old player entering his prime, who has 5 All-NBA first teams under his belt was suddenly traded? Remember, Dwyane Wade, a hall-of-famer has 4 All-NBA first-team appearances in his career.

The reason as per Tim MacMahon of ESPN is that the Mavericks did not trust in Luka to be their flagbearer for the future. He cited issues such as conditioning, lack of defense etc.

"Defense wins championships"- Mavs GM Nico Harrison's primary motivation for trading for Anthony Davis

I don't buy this, they're good defensively last now but Luka and the Mavs were the 3rd best defensive team after the trade deadline last year. So this makes little sense.

I can argue the Mavericks are slightly better now. Davis does allow them to play a lot of big lineups. But will that be enough to land them a championship within the next 2 years? I doubt it. I seriously doubt it.

Moreover, there is the question of age, Davis is 32, he has had injury issues and despite the last 2 years of stellar conditioning, how are we sure he will still be good at age 35?

No reason justifies this trade. No matter what the Mavs organization says. $350 million for a guy who made 5 All-NBA first teams? That feels like a no-brainer. But, the Mavs have decided to not pursue that path. And even nearly 24 hours after the announcement, there is still a certain thickness in the air about this deal. It smells wrong, and it is wrong. But why cope? We must embrace something new.

The Los Angeles Lakers win as always

The LA Lakers are the kings of the NBA for a reason. Call it fate, call it anything you want, they get a player in their prime, almost all the time. Over the last 6-7 decades, they always have. It quite literally fell on their lap. Nico Harrison called them up offering Luka Doncic. How often does a franchise get that opportunity?

Their franchise is set for the next 10 years. They can't keep getting away with it?

They just did.

Kobe Bryant to LeBron James to Luka Doncic. This sort of path only opens up for Lakers.

He will get his jersey retired, he will maybe have a statue. LeBron James will certainly be happy. He's been a Luka fan for a long time.

He suddenly gets another 2-3 year window, if the Lakers can get the right pieces, the King will retire with a 5th ring and Luka will kickstart a new dynasty in LA. Of course, they are still a few pieces away but with what Rob Pelinka just pulled out, who is to say they don't make more daring moves.

In fact, I will be surprised if they keep their players. Right now, everyone is available for a trade and LA will be beaming, now and for the next few years. They just landed the next big superstar.

The big question

When will the Lakers win a championship with Luka Doncic? Presumably sooner than later. The team lacks defense but they just gained one of the greatest offensive talents in the history of the league. They have about 3 years before the fan base demands more. And by the looks of it, it is likely he gets it done in that time frame.

With just as little as 3 moves, they are immediately contenders. LeBron James and Klutch sports have to be salivating at such an opportunity.

And for rivals and execs, they will be dreading a phone call from Rob Pelinka. Kobe's former agent now has an aura of invincibility around him.

The shock in the newsroom has not faded

For what it is worth, we are still in utter disbelief. A lot of conspiracy theories have been thrown around, we have been talking about this non-stop. We simply cannot believe this. But it is reality. Luka is a Laker, AD is a Maverick.

The league has changed forever, now whatever trade you didn't think was going to happen, is now possible. Who knows what the future of NBA trades are going to look like.

Oh and btw, Zach Lowe came back to do a special 20 minute video because this news was that crazy.