Trading 101 - Refresher

I posted this awhile back...I think I might just repost it every 5 seasons or so.

I know people are often scared to trade with me because they believe I always come out ahead.  I like to think that isn't true, I always try to give back real value when I deal.  But even if I do come out ahead I try to take a process that people can at least trust.  So here's a few pointers that might help some of you:

1) If I'm asking for a specific player, I make it known right away that I want that player.  If they can be had, the next thing I ask is for my trade partner to tell me what THEY like.  I don't tell them who I'd trade.  I don't tell them who I'm offering.  I tell them who is not available and have them give me a list of what they want.  From there, we can hammer out a deal or not, but at least we both have buy-in for what is being exchanged.

2) If someone else refuses to tell you who they won't trade and keeps offering who they want to offer - consider that a huge red flag.  They're trying to sell you on something they don't want for something they want from you.  Walk away from it.

3)  If someone asks me about a player, I give them a list of players I want from them.  Sometimes I say things like "I'd have to get X player in this deal".  Sometimes I just pick and choose a few guys.  But again I give that list of players so that my trade partner again feels like they have buy-in on the deal.  If I'm constantly leading you on to what I want and there isn't real give and take....you're probably talking about a bad deal waiting to happen.  If the guys you want aren't available, walk away.

4) Make a real effort to give value if you're going to get value.  Yeah, we can all say "this guy has been here long enough for us to stop protecting him", I'd flip that:"You've been here long enough to know that if you're ripping a guy bad enough to think that, the deal is in bad form"  Knock it off.  Offer value.

Vetos suck for everyone.  They create unneeded BS in the league.  Avoid it.  Please.

5) Understand the context of trades, so that you understand leverage, draft pick value, player age, finances, prospect value, the market itself, etc.  Sometimes you walk away from a deal early because you know the offers are all coming in low.  Find value later.  Rushing things is always a bad idea.

6) Ask someone whose knowledge you trust.  I never shy from giving my honest, un-filtered opinion.  Even about my own players, good or bad.