When the Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Mavs, the news hit the star forward like a truck. “Obviously, the first maybe 48 hours, it was just a shock because I wasn’t expecting it. Nobody was expecting it, so they say.” AD told the media. The move was so sudden that owner Jeanie Buss didn’t even get a chance to bid a proper farewell to The Brow, as the team was on an East Coast trip at the time of his departure.

Turns out, over two months into the blockbuster trade, Buss is yet to have a meeting with her former franchise superstar. Making the shocking revelation during her latest interview on SiriusXM, she said, “I haven’t seen him face to face.” Sounds a bit odd considering Davis was once Jeanie’s favorite star, and she even trusted him enough to offer him a $186 million contract. However, Jeanie has big plans for AD in the coming months, “I look forward to in the offseason.” Yes, AD’s former employer plans to have a meeting with him once the season is over and hopefully give the Mavs star some closure.

Why hasn’t she done it till now? Well, you can blame Adam Silver for that. “You know you have to remember he’s now under contract to another team. We’ve had too many instances of people accusing us of tampering, so I have to be really careful with stuff like that.” Jeanie remarked, highlighting her fear of getting penalized by the NBA if she gets accused of tampering for meeting Davis, while he is under contract with the Mavs.

Of course, the Lakers are no stranger to facing such allegations. Back in 2017, they were fined $500,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering rules. Reason? Ignoring Silver’s initial warning, Rob Pelinka reportedly contacted Paul George’s agent while he was still under contract with the Pacers.

The charges were filed by the Indiana franchise, leading to further investigation and eventual penalty for Jeanie. And the owner does not want to risk it happening again by meeting Davis in mysterious circumstances. After revealing the reason behind ignoring AD for so long, Buss also detailed how she managed to pull off the shocking trade.

Jeanie Buss claims getting “rid of the problem” helped the Lakers keep Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade a secret

In today’s age of social media, it’s nearly impossible to keep a secret. Especially when it involves superstars of Luka and AD’s calibre. But Jeanie somehow managed to pull it off by making the biggest trade in league history without anyone knowing until it was done. Revealing how the Lakers did it, she claimed, “I have a feeling if it did leak, the trade probably wouldn’t have happened. For so many different reasons. People working against us that would not wanna see that trade happen.”

The quote says it all. In a league where front offices play chess with the media and agendas run deep, the Lakers didn’t just make a blockbuster move—they beat the system.

And considering the names involved, it might go down as the most tightly guarded trade in NBA history.

Yes, had other franchises found out that Luka was available in the market, they could have lured the Mavs into taking a better deal. “So, keeping things under wraps is really really important.” Buss added.

She continued, “Our circle is tight because over the years, we did have problems with things leaking out and that did disrupt plans and cause some problems in our basketball operations… Finally, we got rid of the problem. Now we can keep things under wraps when we choose to.”

She didn’t elaborate on what exactly “getting rid of the problem” meant—whether it was reshuffling the front office, cutting loose a leaker, or something more subtle. But whatever they did clearly worked. The Luka deal stayed quiet until it was done, leaving rival GMs blindsided.

In a league where headlines often break before deals are even signed, the Lakers are operating with a level of stealth that rivals the Spurs or Heat. Rob Pelinka’s kept Jeanie in the loop every step of the way, but beyond that? Silence.

That cultural shift—from chaotic leaks to complete lockdown—has helped reestablish the Lakers as the NBA’s premier destination. It’s why they pulled off the league’s biggest trade under everyone’s noses. And it’s why stars now trust L.A. with their legacies.

The move wasn’t just stealthy—it was strategic, and it showed why the Lakers remain one of the sharpest, most iconic operations in league history.