Austin Reaves reveals Anthony Davis' 3-word response in Lakers group chat after shock trade for Luka Doncic

Austin Reaves has revealed Anthony Davis' three-worded reaction in the Lakers' group chat after he received the shocking trade news.

The whole basketball world was left in shock on Feb. 2 after ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the LA Lakers had traded away their star big man, Anthony Davis, in exchange for five-time All-Star Luka Doncic.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin published an article covering the Lakers' chances in the upcoming playoffs. His article featured a brief interview with Austin Reaves, where the Lakers' rising star revealed AD's reaction to getting traded.

Reaves described the entire scene when he came across the news on Instagram while on the team bus.

"AD, texting the 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," Reaves told ESPN.

The news was hard to believe for the young Lakers star until he confirmed it with his team's assistant coach, Beau Levesque. Purple and Gold's general manager, Rob Pelinka, had revealed that Austin Reaves was close with Anthony Davis and Max Christie, who were both traded to bring Doncic to California.

Pelinka had concerns about bringing another ball-handler to the lineup and the implications it would have on Reaves. However, he said that Reaves was becoming a basketball savant like LeBron James and Doncic, and his desire to win had allowed him to become a player who would fit with anybody.

"We're just lucky to have him": Lakers owner Jeanie Buss expresses honest thoughts on Austin Reaves' growth

Austin Reaves has honed his craft to such a high level that it is hard to believe that he went undrafted in the 2021 draft.

The rising Lakers star has become one of the best players on his squad, and former Lakers star Nick Young even rated Reaves better than Kyrie Irving.

The Lakers owner, Jeanie Buss, realizes the value Reaves brings to the table as she praised the ball-handler in Dave McMenamin's article published on Tuesday.

"The way he plays the game, fights for every ball, sacrifices his body, when you see somebody like that, you can't help but get drawn in and cheer for them," Buss told ESPN. "And he was that from day one ... he just keeps proving himself over and over and over again. ... We're just lucky to have him."

Austin Reaves is averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He delivered a strong 20-point performance against the best team in the west, OKC Thunder, on Sunday and helped the Lakers secure a 126-99 win.