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Mr. Rambis said:
Folks - been abroad and woke up a few hours ago to see this news. WOW! Still catching up... Appreciate everyone's thorough analysis here (you all really know your stuff these days). Let me share what I know, if I'm not repeating too much...
In all my years in the business (semi-retired now), I've never seen a trade of this magnitude kept this quiet. I had ZERO clue! Back when we landed Pau, I had the inside scoop a few hours beforehand. My old firm is in absolute crisis mode trying to handle the international scale marketing - haven't seen anything like it. They haven't slept since the news dropped!
Word is, Lakers management kept this under tight wraps because they didn't want another team swooping in with a better offer to Dallas. They didn't even loop in LeBron (his people tend to talk, God bless them). They used all their leverage on Rich Paul to ensure he stayed quiet until the ink was dry.
On the business side, Harris and Buss never felt AD had that true star power, not like LeBron or our dear Kobe (rest his soul). The league's gone global, and they've been eyeing an international face. They tried for Giannis years back with no luck, but Luka might be an even better fit for a diverse city like LA.
There's also a longstanding cultural element here - the team has never been a fan of defensive big men as the franchise face. The Dwight situation left a bad taste, and don't get me started on the Kwame Brown days. The front office has always preferred those flashy offensive players, like during Showtime. That's just how it is. Remember they hired Mike D'Antoni for that very reason!!
Between us, there's some give-and-take happening here. Expect the Lakers to return the favor down the line, perhaps helping move some salary around as a 3rd team in a future deal. Dallas seems to be trying to build a collaborative relationship with us, unlike some teams that insist on the "Lakers tax". Smart, IMO!
Here's what else I'm hearing - AD is actually happier about this than Luka right now (hence waiving the trade kicker). He was concerned about wasting his prime during next year's farewell tour and the post-LeBron transition. Also, we all know he wasn't thrilled about playing center. Can't blame the young man.
My sources say Luka has given his word about staying long-term (meaning we can go all in on promoting him without worrying about the risk he walks), but Pelinka rolled the dice before getting that assurance. That takes some guts, if you ask me!
One last tidbit - hold off on getting too attached to any projected starting lineups. Marketing has been told to hold off on any promotional material regarding the starting 5! More moves are coming, mark my words!
Congrats to the entire LakersBall community for sticking through the highs and lows!! This is the most promising young player we've traded for since that special kid from Charlotte!!!