Mark Jackson Vehemently Refuses to Believe Rich Paul Didn’t Know About Anthony Davis’ Lakers-Mavericks Trade

One of the biggest trades in NBA history took place before the trade deadline when the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and a first-round pick. One person who remains a bit skeptical about how the move went down is former NBA player, coach, and broadcaster Mark Jackson, who spoke about the topic on the latest edition of his “Mark Jackson Show” podcast.

Jackson’s big point of contention is with the reported secrecy of the trade, something he refuses to believe, considering that Davis’s agent, Rich Paul, also represents AD’s former Lakers teammate, LeBron James. He also makes a point to call out Mavs GM Nico Harrison and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.

“No side of me believes that only Nico Harrison, Rob Pelinka, and ownership knew about this,” Jackson stated. “You just can’t convince me of that. You can’t convince me that Luka’s agent in Bill Duffy, you can’t convince me that Anthony Davis’s Agent in Rich Paul had no clue. And if you did let them know a week ago, you can’t convince me that Rich Paul didn’t call his number #1 client (LeBron) to let him know.”

It has been widely reported that the trade was mostly orchestrated by Pelinka and Harrison. Both AD and Luka found out about the deal after it went down successfully. Reports also suggested that LeBron was not aware as well of the deal as well. But Jackson doesn’t believe any of that.

He declared that LBJ is too well-connected in the NBA to let all this happen under his nose without catching a whiff of it.

Another point that Jackson brings up is that the stars in the trade — Davis and Doncic — along with LeBron definitely deserved some kind of discussion before being dealt to other teams in the middle of the season. So it was not an appropriate move if they were really kept in the dark.

“That’s negligence as ownership or management in my opinion because you owe it to Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, LeBron James to have some sort of discussion. Even if we keep it under wraps.”

Jackson’s viewpoint would directly contradict what Paul said during a recent interview, where he claimed to have been completely “shocked” by the trade, especially considering who it involved.

Many around the league believe that LeBron James definitely knew about the trade

Mark Jackson is not the only one questioning LeBron James’ involvement in this drama. The four-time NBA Champion claimed that he wasn’t aware of the blockbuster trade between the two franchises, and even thought it was a hoax when he first heard about it.

Stephen Jackson wasn’t afraid to take shots at LeBron regarding this. He stated on a recent episode of “Unplugged” that the Lakers superstar must have been consulted, or at least, informed about it beforehand.

Regardless of who knew, the landscape of the NBA is entirely different after the trade — and will potentially lead to some interesting basketball following the All-Star break this weekend. Many have given their thoughts on who benefitted most from Doncic and Davis switching teams, including Shaquille O’Neal, who predicted that the Mavs might be the more balanced team.