No, not that Charlotte, though for a moment, Jamal himself was reportedly confused. When the news first broke from the Nuggets Front Office, he was said to be halfway through drafting a cheeky Instagram story involving glitter, a wine glass, and a blurry photo of Charli XCX on stage. The man was ready!

But no, this wasn't about the pop star. It was about a basketball franchise in North Carolina that has spent the past decade trying and mostly failing to reinvent the concept of futility.

Denver sent Jamal Murray, the hero of the Bubble, the fourth-quarter maestro, a playoff killer whose ACL tear had more impact than most players' healthy seasons, to the Charlotte Hornets.

In return, the Nuggets got LaMello MRI-Appointment Ball, Miles Bridges, best known for his rap mixtapes, and some headlines you don't want to be known for, as well as a very small handful of carefully selected draft picks, the kind that look intriguing on paper but are, in practice, so dubiously valuable they might as well have come with a footnote: “Future considerations—most likely pain.”

Social media naturally exploded.

Charli XCX tweeted before deleting: Me refreshing woj tweets thinking jamal was coming over :( :( :( this is worse than the grammys

Elon Musk eloquently retorted: LOL

Nikola Jokic reportedly “had a mild heart attack” upon hearing news of the Jamal Murray trade, per sources close to the team. He is stable and currently watching horse videos on YouTube.

Charlotte responded like they’d just pulled off a heist. A franchise that’s been fumbling rebuilds since the Clinton administration suddenly had Jamal Murray! The social media team posted an awkward Photoshop of Jamal in teal, clearly done on a deadline that respected neither design nor dignity.

Bottom line, “Jamal Does Charlotte” isn't a love story. It's a cautionary tale.