Shams Charania Tweet Credit: Shams Charania/X
NBATwitterBy Sean Keeley on

The NBA world was shocked Wednesday when news broke that the Portland Trail Blazers were sending Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three-team trade.

The NBA world was also a bit confused because while everyone else was reporting that deal, NBA insider Shams Charania initially reported that Lillard had been traded to the Toronto Raptors.

ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was first to announce the breaking news at 2:16 p.m. ET.

One minute later, Woj would add the details, noting that Lillard was en route to Milwaukee as part of a three-team deal that was also sending Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, and Toumani Camara to Portland while Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson were heading to Phoenix.

Charania, who is constantly in competition with Wojnarowski for breaking news dominance, sent his initial tweet/post at 2:17 p.m. ET. However, the NBA insider for The Athletic and Stadium incorrectly tabbed the Raptors as part of the three-team deal instead of the Bucks.

Charania quickly deleted the post and then put up the revised version at 2:18 p.m. ET.

What’s the big deal? Well, for one, it confused the heck out of a lot of NBA fans and gave Toronto fans a jolt of false hope before they came crashing back down to reality.

Second, it’s a stark reminder of how the “insider” game can go awry when speed trumps accuracy. Insiders like Shams, Woj, Adam Schefter, and Ian Rapoport have built their reporting empires on their ability to mix both, but it only takes a few wrong reports and bad sources for fans to sour on you. While social media turned their job into a speed competition, a reporter still lives and dies by their trustworthiness.

As many noted, score this round for Woj. However, while Charania probably won’t comment on the incorrect report, he might be able to save face if he breaks the story on just how close Toronto came to getting Lillard. Clearly, they were close enough for him to prep the tweet.

[Shams Charania]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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