NBA should create new rule following Lakers' trade for Luka Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world on Sunday when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Multiple reports have since stated that Dallas only spoke to the Lakers and one other team about a potential trade. 

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne have reported that multiple front offices were left "furious" at not being included in negotiations. 

"Executives from around the league were both furious and jealous that the glitzy, star-driven Lakers had been the only team given an opportunity to bid for Doncic's services," MacMahon and Shelburne reported.

Dallas did receive Anthony Davis, a nine-time All-Star, as part of the deal. However, Nico Harrison only squeezed one future draft pick out of Rob Pelinka. Considering Doncic is a top-five player in the league, that return feels rather weak. After all, Davis has struggled with health in recent years, earning him the nickname "street clothes" as a result. 

It's hard to fathom why the Mavericks wouldn't seek to get the best trade package possible. By not allowing the rest of the NBA to enter the bidding process, Dallas has done itself a disservice.

Trading Doncic was a bold move. Doing so without sounding out teams with deep stockpiles of tradable assets is malpractice. The Oklahoma City Thunder could have blown the Lakers' offer out of the water. The fact Dalton Knecht wasn't part of the trade is mind-boggling, too. 

"Harrison decided early on, team sources said, that the best way to trade a player of Doncic's caliber was to pick the trade that he wanted, rather than open up the process, to avoid Doncic and his agent exerting their own leverage," The report continued. 

Clearly, the Mavericks got the player they wanted in Davis. But that won't stop the rest of the league from rightly feeling aggrieved at being kept in the dark. We shouldn't be surprised if the NBA investigates the process of the trade discussions between Dallas and the Lakers. 

It's doubtful anything untoward took place. Still, it's unfair that the Lakers have landed a superstar who will keep them competitive for a decade with almost no competition. That isn't fair, and it isn't how the league should allow things to be done. 

A "Doncic rule" needs to be created to ensure all teams get an opportunity to pursue an available star. Otherwise, this kind of trade could become commonplace in the NBA, if not all professional sports.