LeBron James faces a new reality in L.A. after being blindsided by the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The man who prides himself on seeing the play two plays ahead couldn’t see the biggest no-look pass in NBA history, as LeBron James still seemed in a state of shock in the aftermath of the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade.

One could argue James would be equal parts staggered and intrigued, paired with a talent like Dončić but shipping out Davis, the player James helped bring to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 — the player who gave James a new lease on life at the time, the player who helped James become a champion for the fourth time.

“I’ve seen it all … until this one,” James said. “I’ve never been part of a transaction like that. That was different.”

The word “transaction” feels so sterile, from James’ perspective. For the Lakers, it’s business and they found their new moneymaker. For James, losing Davis was more than just a transaction —the two have grown close through their time in L.A., their bond strengthening through the pressure that comes with being a Laker.

The two talked over FaceTime on Saturday night when James received the news at a family dinner, and said it didn’t seem real until he saw Dončić around the team, and Davis at a Dallas Mavericks shootaround in Philadelphia earlier in the day.

“That’s when it finally hit me, like, oh s***, this is real,” James said.

It also signals, at least in some way, that the Lakers no longer consider James’ wishes first and foremost. One assumes there has to be some plausible deniability in not keeping James in the loop when talks started to get serious, given the nature of the James-Davis friendship and the fact they share an agent, Rich Paul.

Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss were clearly in on it, cheerful listeners to the Dallas Mavericks' pitch. And at some point, if not before Saturday’s game against the New York Knicks, head coach JJ Redick was clued in.

It’s usually not a triumvirate, but in this case it was a secret club of three.

Usually James is on the joke, not a believer that the news about Davis being traded was a hoax.

"Literally became brothers in the last five and a half years,” James said. “We was able to accomplish on the floor, that goes without saying. But us growing together, knowing each other’s families, seeing each other grow, seeing each other’s kids grow. It’s pretty unique.”

If it didn’t hit one before, it did in that moment — that this isn’t just about Dončić arriving in Los Angeles but Davis departing, and what he leaves behind. Austin Reaves talked about seeing Davis’ kids on FaceTime and them mocking Reaves’ 3-point celebration.

It’s the kind of bond that left many upset and hurt when James would leave comfortable environments in his past, as he always had the ultimate leverage in every situation he entered.

And at those other stops, he pulled the lever.

During his first stint in Cleveland, when he stopped dancing, the show was over and taking off that jersey that May night in Boston was confirmation what the Cavaliers front office had done to that point, wasn’t nearly enough to keep James happy or in town.

James played a game of chicken with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat following a successful partnership during that four-year period — if he was dared to walk away, he did so unemotionally and after it looked as if Miami didn’t have more winning moves to stay atop the NBA.

When he came back to Cleveland a made man, it was almost perfect casting. Kyrie Irving as young running mate with headline talent but not necessarily No. 1 skills, and Kevin Love was soon to follow — James pulling the strings and everyone else along for the ride.

Even his arrival with the Lakers was billed to be one of need, and now does that same need exist? It probably does, but the terms aren’t so lopsided. With Dončić some 15 years younger, the Lakers will have to consider his wishes and needs first and that has never been the case at any juncture of James’ career.

“What’s wrong with that? If I had concerns, I would’ve waived my no-trade clause and got up out of here,” James said matter-of-factly.

The Lakers have acquired Dončić but have to court him, as they don’t have the extra financial incentive of $350 million like Dallas did at their disposal. Dončić has to be the franchise’s first priority in a way Davis wasn’t going to be, at least because the franchise didn’t see him as a true No. 1 option.

And it’s hard to court two players on two different timelines at the same time, but that’s the challenge the Lakers are taking on, willingly and knowingly.

James has a player option for next season and can continue to do this as long as his body holds up, and it did masterfully on Tuesday night. James plus shooters is still a recipe for success as the Lakers picked apart the Los Angeles Clippers — the Clippers playing like the team that had been emotionally gutted and the Lakers like a bunch that had been waiting on a wounded opponent, chomping at an opportunity.

The Lakers played that way because James can galvanize as well as anyone for a particular game and since his return, he’s been masterful: 25.1 points, 9.0 assists, 7.1 rebounds on 53 percent shooting and 40 from 3-point range in his last 21 games, and the Lakers have gone 16-7 in their last 23 including their thrashing of the Clippers.

The irony of the Lakers finalizing the Dončić trade in the aftermath of a big road win in New York on national TV, one that almost legitimizes them as a team to be reckoned with in the West, is too much to ignore.

Now, the clock doesn’t move all the way back but it’s not sped up to the usual James Time of urgency.

“I’m here right now,” James said, almost sternly. “I’m here to help Luka and Maxi (Kleber) make the transition. As a leader of the team, one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible.”

Since the Dončić-Davis trade, executives around the league have said it has opened up conversations some would’ve termed “unthinkable,” and some of the league’s most valuable stars, like Stephen Curry and Anthony Edwards, have spoken openly about how shocked they were at the deal and how nobody is safe if someone with Dončić’s pedigree can be moved so easily.

That’s not to say James will be traded or would agree to it before Thursday’s deadline. It’s just that nothing can be ruled as out of the question. Minds and bodies must be nimble, and the days ahead might just be amusing.