EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — It was a familiar sight at a familiar site, but something was missing.

The pomp and circumstance was present at the Lakers facility, complete with the Larry O’Brien trophies looking over the practice floor, surely shined up to look even more golden for the occasion.

And the Buss family was scattered around, team governor Jeanie Buss standing remotely in the shadows while her brother, Jim Buss, sat on the other side, hat pulled down low over his face.

The numbers of retired Laker jerseys loomed on the walls, the perfect backdrop.

But the subdued look on Luka Dončić’s face showed the reality of this. Not that the coldness of it had anything to do with the Lakers, not to Dončić.

But it hung in the air for the morning, in the 20-minute news conference and it was uttered in corners for the few moments after, the people behind the scenes kept saying:

“It’s a business.”

Usually, when the Lakers introduce their newest star, whether it’s by draft or signing or trade, he’s all smiles, bathing in the tradition and the dignitaries, eager to add to Lakers lore.

It’s their choice, their destination, their happiness. Business is in the backdrop, not the forefront.

“It’s a gift,” Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said. “You’re talking about a 25-year-old that is a top-three player in the universe. I can’t think of a more amazing starting point to build a roster for the next decade.”

Shaquille O’Neal was a top three player when he arrived in Los Angeles, so was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so was LeBron James. These gifts happen for this franchise, and the Lakers aren’t shocked when luck smiles upon them.

But you didn’t get the sense that Dončić was unhappy about being in Los Angeles, with the Lakers, with James. It felt very touching and sincere when he mentioned the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, wishing they could be here to see this.

He just seemed distracted, still in shock — to be fair, the entire sports world is still frozen in time.

“I mean, everybody was surprised, you can imagine how surprised I was,” Dončić said. “I was almost asleep, so when I got a call, I had to check [if] it was April 1. I couldn’t believe it. It was hard moments for me. It was home.”

When he made the April Fools comment, it didn’t really feel like a joke, although polite laughter followed. The only way he could’ve been traded was by some cruel practical joke, or someone being hacked or prank calling — that’s what he was inferring.

Every time he made mention of the discomfort, he tried to assuage the feelings of his new home by complimenting the franchise, by mentioning the weather and ocean that’s not far from his new digs. He was careful not to offend, but it’s clear he’s still very much processing being on the business end of a transaction that has as many puzzled as they are excited.

His body language was noticeable, such that Pelinka had to make note Dončić is a fierce competitor on the floor while appearing low-key off it.

“I know up here he might seem calm and casual and quiet, but we know the alter ego comes out,” Pelinka said. “I know he has the drive to win that we have here. Our fans are going to see that every night on the court.”

It was even weird to have Pelinka speak about the clandestine nature of his meetings with Mavs GM Nico Harrison, which began around three weeks ago with the Mavericks approaching the Lakers. Pelinka was complimenting Harrison about the very thing that caused Dončić to feel every morsel of the heartbrokenness and betrayal that was written on his face.

“And when the concept was initially introduced to us, it was, ‘Hey, the only way we can even have these discussions was if it’s between owner and GMs,’” Pelinka said. “And there was a commitment to that, and if we broke that commitment by talking to anyone else, this day would never happen. So I think trust was at the center of all those discussions.”

Trust is what was broken between Dončić and the Mavericks, or even franchise player and employer, in a general sense. Had Dončić and his representation found out about the trade talks, Pelinka is likely correct: The deal would’ve gotten blown up before reaching the finish line.

But in that scenario, at least for Dončić, he would’ve had some agency in it, some way to lobby to stay in the place he wanted to remain for his career, or to mend fences if that was at all possible.

It’s clear, though, that Dončić feels a way about what’s been whispered about him coming out of Dallas the last few days. His conditioning and habits, keeping his weight at a place that enables him to stay on the floor for an entire season and even his wishes to sign a five-year extension worth over $350 million this offseason when it was expected to be presented to him.

“Absolutely not,” he said flatly when asked if he’d given any indication that he wouldn’t sign the super-max extension.

When a trade of this magnitude happens, it will become a battle of rhetoric and controlling the narrative. The truth is rarely so clean and clear, rarely so one-sided that there’s a true villain and victim.

It all depends on perspective, but what’s clear from Dončić’s first words was how shocked he was to be here, on the first Tuesday in February — and it’ll take awhile for it to feel like home.