How player trades work in European Football v in the NBA  - who has more power?

The recent trade involving the two NBA stars Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis made headlines, with the two players, reportedly, being as surprised as NBA fans^[1]. Luka himself was so taken aback that he stated in his first press conference he had to check if it was April 1^st.^[2] Moreover, as reported by former NBA player Chandler Parsons, the Slovenian guard had just bought a $15 Million house in Dallas right before the trade.^[3] NBA players stars Tyrese Haliburton and Alex Caruso were so shocked that they made a tweet asking if Shams Charania’s (one of the most influential NBA insiders) X account had been hacked following his trade announcement.^[4] Surprisingly, also Dallas Mavericks’ minority shareholder Mark Cuban and former principal owner declared that he did not know about the trade and received a call about the news just before it was announced.^[5]

A few have noted that, luckily or not, such a situation could never happen in football.^[6]

This article analyses the differences between the NBA’s model and the European football model to examine this. It explores:

• The difference between the “American model” and the “European model”
• The NBA CBA and collective agreements in the European football landscape
• The NBA standard individual contract model
• The player’s consent to the possibility of being transferred or exchanged
  • Transfer requirements in European football
  • EU law & football: From Bosman to Diarra
  • The NBA's dual employment model
  • Contrasting philosophies: Centralised vs. decentralised systems
• Is the NBA really a “Player’s League”?