The fallout from the Dallas Mavericks trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers just won’t hover or linger around the franchise.

It will stick to the Mavericks like a bad scent and what they do – and don’t do – will be seen through this prism: the Mavericks traded a 25-year-old five-time All-NBA guard who is one of the top-five players in the world and has not entered his prime seasons.

They made three questionable choices.

They decided they can’t win a title with Doncic.

They didn’t want to give him a five-year, $345 million extension.

They returned an insufficient amount of assets for Doncic.

League executives are flabbergasted. Agents are aghast. Mavs fans are irate.

Inexplicable is a word an agent used to describe Dallas’ move.

Doncic’s dad, Sasa, vented his frustration, calling out the secrecy and accusing the Mavs of hypocrisy. Luka absolutely doesn't deserve this,” he told Slovenian outlet Arena Sport 1.

Everyone understands it’s a business, and players are traded – and sometimes players request trades. Doncic didn’t ask for a trade and didn’t say he wouldn’t sign an extension. Maybe Dallas was trying to get in front of a potential trade request.

Let’s start with the money. You win with the stars in the NBA, and stars get paid – from Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to Denver’s Nikola Jokic to Golden State’s Steph Curry to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James. Those teams and players represent the past five NBA champions.

Yes, $345 million over five seasons is an absurd amount of money, but it’s also possible because the league and players agreed on a 50-50 split of basketball-related income in the collective bargaining agreement. Within that agreement, teams can pay certain players a supermax contract that is 35% of the salary cap in a season.

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And it’s not that Dallas didn’t want to spend money on a player because the Mavs will end up paying Anthony Davis, who they acquired in the Doncic trade, a similar amount of money in a contract extension.

Dallas decided not to spend on Doncic.

Having a competitive team with a star like Doncic sells tickets, advertising and merchandise which all help pay players. Yes, it’s the ownership group’s decision to spend that kind of money on a player, and owners are under no obligation to do so, especially if the decision has luxury tax implications, and they don’t think that player can help contend for – and win – a championship.

Now, it takes an amazing amount of conviction to make that call on Doncic today. He led the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season, and while there is criticism of his defense and physical conditioning, Doncic still averages close to a triple-double: 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game this season in 22 games because of an injury and 33.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 9.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game last season when he finished third in MVP voting.

Using advanced metrics, the Mavericks are better with Doncic on the court compared to when he’s not playing. Last season, Dallas’ defensive rating was essentially the same whether Doncic was on the court or the bench. His offense is that good, compensating for defensive shortcomings.

And he’s going to improve. You don’t trade a generational-type player before there is definitive proof he is not the guy. When will the Mavs get another player like that?

Dallas also only got one first-round pick back in the deal, which is not enough when, for example, the Brooklyn Nets received four first-round picks for Mikal Bridges.

To sheepishly play devil’s advocate for the Mavs, they didn’t shop around for the best offer because they didn’t want their plans leaked to the media. They wanted to avoid letting public outcry dictate their decision (though the post-trade outcry from Mavs fans is not a good look for the organization), wanted to maintain leverage in secrecy and didn’t want the player to dictate the destination which would’ve happened had it been widespread that they wanted to trade Doncic.

The fallout from this trade will last for at least the next decade. It’s going to stick with the Mavs in every win, loss and decision. And it will stink even worse if Doncic wins championships and MVPs with the Lakers before Dallas wins a title. Those who know Doncic and have seen him play since his teen years in Slovenia believe he will dedicate himself to making the Mavs look foolish.

That's what the Mavs and their fans have to fear.

Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic trade will haunt Mavericks, who skipped out on his prime