When the initial Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis trade surfaced, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves thought it was Davis joking around.

“First thing, I was like, ‘Oh this is [false],” Reaves said via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “‘He got hacked.'”

Instantly, Reaves' phone began to flood with incoming texts. “The group message started going crazy,” he said. “AD, texting the [team] group message, was like, ‘They traded me.' And I was like, ‘OK, AD is bulls—-ing 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.”

Much like the NBA universe, and the entire sports community, they were all in shock, along with the players. Making a superstar trade like that in the middle of the season is unheard of.

However, the Dallas Mavericks decided to pull the plug on the Doncic experiment. While they landed Davis, Doncic is younger and has more superstar potential.

This isn't discrediting Davis's body of work. After all, the latter is a multiple-time All Defensive big and All-NBA team selection. For Doncic though, he has five All-NBA first team selections within his first six seasons in the league.

Lakers' Austin Reaves thought the Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic trade was BS

It's not often that something has as much attention as the Davis and Doncic trade. However, the magnitude and the sheer shock has been overwhelming.

Article Continues Below
Related Los Angeles Lakers News
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after a three point shot against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Bill Simmons drops Lakers conspiracy theory to give Knicks fans hopeJulian Ojeda ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James, Luka Doncic give Lakers their own unique 2-timeline issueAnthony Irwin ·
Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
NBA rumors: LeBron James, James Harden potential free agency departures unlikelyZachary Draves ·
timberwolves, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
1 player Minnesota Timberwolves must trade in 2025 offseasonGarrett Kerman ·
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts to his team losing the lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
Lakers’ JJ Redick link up with Les Snead at Rams campMiguel La Torre ·
image thumbnail
Sources: Lakers split on trading core playersAnthony Irwin ·

However, Reaves has been embracing the Slovenian superstar, and that love has been reciprocated. For instance, Reaves changed the Lakers' offense since the team landed Doncic.

On the flip side, Davis was injured after his first game with the Mavericks. Furthermore, Kyrie Irving tore his ACL, leaving Dallas fans distraught over the trade.

For Laker fans though, they've been embracing the trade. It wasn't even that they got rid of Davis, but rather, they landed Doncic. It's not often to land a generational star unless it is through the draft. Los Angeles struck gold with the deal.

At the end of the day, the trade was shocking, but a business move. Since the deal, the Lakers have a 20-11 record since trading for the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year.

Not to mention, they've climbed in the standings to the third seed with a 48-30 overall record. They'll hope to continue the season on this stretch and end it on a high note.

Furthermore, the trio of LeBron James, Doncic, and Reaves is one that will have plenty of playoff teams preparing intensenly.