Kidd was unaware that Harrison was shopping Doncic. Harrison reportedly had nearly a month of dialogue with Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka about the move. Not once did he tell the coach he thinks he’s aligned with about what was in the works behind the scenes.

Somehow the sun did in fact dawn Sunday in North Texas, piercing though not erasing the shroud of Mavericks fans’ shock, despair and anger. The previous night’s astonishing bombshell was in fact reality: The Mavericks really did trade 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the despised and perpetually hoops-god-blessed Los Angeles Lakers.

The Luka Dončić deal originally included multiple first-round picks, Dalton Knecht, and more, but was chiseled down after Rob Pelinka was able to convince Nico Harrison that