When the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis, it sent shockwaves through the NBA.
For Austin Reaves, the night of the trade was just as surreal as it was for fans, and he recently shared the inside story on The Young Man and the Three podcast.
Reaves recalled how the news broke in real time, catching even the players off guard.
“Our group chat starts going crazy,” he said. “Honestly, I hardly ever look at the group chat because they talk about whatever. The first thing I looked at when I pulled my phone up, AD said, ‘They traded me.’ He jokes around a lot. I laughed and put my phone down. And my phone kept going off. So I pulled up Instagram and I seen Shams’ tweet or post or whatever and called my guys and was like, ‘What the f***?’”
The disbelief quickly turned into reality as Reaves realized the Lakers had just landed one of the league’s brightest young superstars.
While Reaves was excited about the chance to play alongside Dončić, he admitted the move was bittersweet.
“I was obviously hurt at the time,” he said. “I had a really good relationship with Max [Christie], I had a really good relationship with AD. That aspect, I was with AD for four years, Max for three, being around them every single day for years… and then the next day, they’re just gone.”
Reaves emphasized that losing close teammates was tough, but he also recognized the magnitude of the trade.
“We get Luka though, incredible player, generational player, nobody thought he would get traded at that age, anytime honestly. Everything happens for a reason and I’m really excited by what we got.”
Reaves also described the surreal atmosphere of the Lakers’ first game in Dallas after the trade.
“The first game we played in Dallas after that, I will never in my career see anything like that,” he said, hinting at the emotional weight of facing his former teammates while sharing the floor with Dončić in purple and gold.
Wow, Austin Reaves gives valuable insight on the Luka-AD trade 👀
Months later and still no one can understand what happened 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Dz6VYVEer1
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) October 1, 2025
