Shams Charania peels back the curtain on blockbuster Luka Doncic trade

Shams Charania couldn’t believe it either.The ESPN reporter was getting the details of the Luka Doncic trade blockbuster over text that he was about to break to a stunned basketball world on Saturday night.He had the same thought many did when they saw Charania’s eventual tweet.“I thought my phone was hacked when I got the text messages of the details of the trade and got wind of the deal,” Charania said on “Get Up” Monday morning.Now, a day and a half later, the league is still trying to make sense of the trade that saw Doncic head to the Lakers in a six-player deal that includes Anthony Davis shipped to Dallas.“When you peel back the curtain and for the Mavericks they honestly, internally, believe this move puts them in a better position to win a championship,” Charania said.“Of course, there are issues that they had with Luka Doncic — his conditioning levels to an extent… When you think of the next several months, the next few years we’re going to have the exact answer on whether they were right with this decision or they were wrong.”The initial reviews have not been kind, with many mystified by how they could give up a 25-year-old Doncic, months removed from leading the team to the NBA Finals.Still, the addition of Davis will keep Dallas contenders at least in the short-term, and it is possible this is just the first of several moves the Mavericks make before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.“They want to pair Anthony Davis as a center defensively with Kyrie Irving,” Charania said.

“They probably need another addition as well in the backcourt.They have three first-round picks that they can use.

“And I don’t think the Lakers expected at any point this season to be in contention to trade Anthony Davis.They didn’t seek to move Anthony Davis but when Nico Harrison called and offered Luka Doncic that changed the game.”The Mavericks are currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference at 26-24, while the Lakers sit in fifth...