Austin Reaves Thought Anthony Davis Was 'Bulls--tting' Lakers' Group Chat About Trade

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves provided some insight this week into the chaotic night in February that saw the Lakers trade Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Dončić.

Speaking to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Reaves recalled first seeing a post about the trade on Instagram, citing ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania. Reaves said his first instinct was, "Oh this is [false]. He got hacked."

Shortly thereafter, Davis texted about the trade in the team group chat. However, Reaves thought it was just a joke due to his penchant for pranks, saying:

"The group message started going crazy. AD, texting the [team] group message, was like, 'They traded me.' And I was like, 'OK, AD is bulls--tting with us.' He's a kid at heart, had his fun. He literally has a prank TV show. I thought it was one of those."

It wasn't until Reaves texted with Lakers assistant coach Beau Levesque that reality began to set in.

Reaves texted Levesque, "This ain't real," prompting Levesque to reply, "Umm ... I think it's real," noting that he was sitting next to Christie, who was part of the shocking deal.

Everything went down following a 128-112 road win over the New York Knicks, which Davis did not participate in due to a foot injury.

The trade shook the foundation of the NBA, as it saw two perennial All-Stars get swapped despite there being no reports or inclination beforehand that such a deal was in the works.

In Dončić, the Lakers acquired a 26-year-old superstar who was widely regarded as a top-five player in the league entering the 2024-25 campaign after finishing third in the MVP voting and leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season.

Davis is great in his own right, as the 10-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion is almost certainly ticketed for the Hall of Fame, but he is 32 and has dealt with injuries throughout his career.

Those injury issues cropped up almost immediately after the trade, as Davis suffered an adductor strain in his first game with his new team, causing him to miss the next 18 games.

Davis returned on March 24, and the Mavs are 4-2 in the six games he has played since re-entering the lineup.

As for the Lakers, they are 16-9 in games Dončić has played since his arrival, and he is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest for his new team.

Entering play Tuesday, the Lakers are the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 48-30 record, while the Mavericks are 10th with a 38-41 mark.

It will likely take multiple seasons to know for sure which team truly won the trade, but early returns are in the Lakers' favor, as they have a legitimate chance to go on a deep playoff run and potentially even challenge for a championship with LeBron James, Dončić and Reaves leading the way.