With the start of the mid-season draft – a time of year when talented VFL kids are hiding in underground bunkers northeast of Warrandite – the discussion revolves around the possibility of a mid-season trade season.
Trades. They are fun. And as a fan of the NBA, I can tell you now, the off-season movement across the draft, free agency and trade markets can be more exciting than playing.
As it currently stands in the AFL, the Australian Football League Players Association would be perfectly fit if Dustin Martin was told tonight that he was on a 6am flight to join the Sydney Swans – as part of a trade package with the Sydney stack – and they rounded him up as an opponent. 11 Want to see Friday night for clashes.
Lawyer. Vibe human rights. More vibe. Un-Australian.
The humanitarian element of the trade is brutal, and that is why the AFLPA will hold clubs for as long as possible before granting players rights. Agreements have to be financially consistent with the NBA to become a thing and it will never happen.
In Australia, human rights, fairness, and equality are important, and I’ve seen in the NBA over the years not building fairwork to divide people in the workplace. But I will say this: club / franchise ownership is important on player contracts, and it works, especially when players want out. An open trade market is better than negotiating with a club of player’s choice. This is a leverage free zone. And in many cases, the future of the club depends on getting a good collection for their unreliable star player.
In the NBA, players are seen as stocks. Sell them high, buy them low, know when to hold them. They are used by franchisees for improvement. Either as a winner on the court, or as an asset that brings more winners, or to meet a positional need that supports the win-now window, or, to create a collection of future assets that set up a tankorama-win-letter. -Planches.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the lowest pay in the league and are using their available cap space to facilitate trade as a dumping ground for bad deals. Tax for odors? First round pick. They currently have 19 first-round picks across the next seven drafts. It’s a good business for their tankorama-win-maybe-never-plan.
Probably a great strategy for North Melbourne?
Pick 14M In the 2003 draft of the Seattle Supersonics, Luke Ridnaur traded four times in the same week! And unlike an AFL player, he had no say in where he was going.
Memphis from Orlando. Charlotte from Memphis for Matt Burns. Charlotte from OKC and second in the future for Jeremy Lamb. Thunder to Toronto cash $ 2.85 million for trade exceptions.
In contrast to the man who started with a red paper clip, and fourteen businesses, ended with a two-story house; The NBA evacuated Luke Ridnaur to counterfeit money for use in other businesses down the street, and he left the league.
So, in the name of fun, good timing and list management, let’s take a look at some fake NBA-inspired businesses for the AFL.
The challenge of any AFL counterfeit trade is that we do not know the exact details of the contract, so, for more fun, we have closed the pay cap through a few trade settings.
Dusty chooses the Sydney Lifestyle.
Got Sydney: Dustin Martin
Richmond received: Dylan Stephens, Oliver Florent and Logan MacDonald
With an aging list, Tigers get an injection of high inverted kids. Logan MacDonald replaces a future star and Jack Reynolds, replacing Florent the Cochin? Stephens is a recovery project and you can argue for the future first. Dusty has proven himself to be that good.
Dustin Martin. (Photo by Bradley Canaris / AFL Photos / Getty Images)
Richmond received: Jacob Hopper, Leek Ali, Bobby Hill
GWS Hopper is offering a proven gun, so there is no inclusion in the pick. Which package would you accept if you were in Richmond? The gun half-forward and upside-down, or a couple of bull-on-talking and upside-down kids?
North Melbourne takes Horn-Francis to revive an established star and an old trade offer
North Melbourne got: Jordan de Goye, still sidebottom (leader) and a future first
Collingwood received: Jason Horn-Francis
Spreading offensive money on North Melbourne Luoooooo footballers they believe will immediately get them out of the hole. De Guy is a gunman, he’s capable of high-level shots, and let’s face it, he’s only available because of question marks surrounding his off-field behavior. If it’s a straightforward football decision, Collingwood pays him the maximum dollar and keeps him. Sidey is falling off the slide and giving the North a premiership-winning leader for mentoring / coaching purposes.
If Horn-Francis wanted to be the future of the Shinboners, he would sign the extension. Rejecting long-term guaranteed money is a bold move in professional sports and suggests only one thing – he is out. The boy has a fully formed adult body of Mark Requito and is 18 years old. Baby special. North Melbourne might be best to cash in on him.
Also, this business is awesome. De Goye is not their guy, but it is a Russian type rice.
(Photo by Queen Rooney / Getty Images)
North Melbourne got: Josh Rachel and 2x Adelaide first round picks
Adelaide got: Jason Horn-Francis
It was offered 12 months ago – will Adelaide accept it now?
Proceed to the Port Adelaide hunt
Port Adelaide reception: Josh Kennedy
West Coast Receipt: Future Third Rounder
Or
Port Adelaide Receipt: Tex Walker
Adelaide got: Willem Drew
Port Adelaide is desperate for a key forward and you can imagine both Kennedy and Walker could be cheap. Crosstown switch? Tex port hero? Dixon walking back to the ground? Dangerous!
Or
Hawthorne accepts: Carl Aman and Xavier Dursma
Port Adelaide Gets: Jacob Koschitz, Jack Gunston and Second Rounder
Jacob Koschitz is 21 years old and has scored 38 goals in 26 games. Gunston will provide a proven performer, a star, and instant offense to the Port team for the forward option.
Hawks picks up Aman, who has joined them in free agency, and the exciting Xavier Dursma, who is not in favor of Port coach Ken Hinkley, who is now in winning mode after a disastrous start to the season.
Three-way trade
North Melbourne got: Matt Crouch and Riley O’Brien
Received Geelong: Todd Goldstein and Jade Anderson
Adelaide got: Jaden Stephenson, a North third-rounder, a Geelong first-rounder and Quinton Coconut.
It would be Geelong’s irresponsible to leave a first. But they all have flags and Goldie’s inclusion could tip over their edges. Anderson gave them a sub 30 on-ball to replace Selwood, Bairstow and Couch when the time was right.
In exchange for the money owed to Stephenson, Russia gets two of the best players in the trade, who did not live up to the hype of superstar billing. Adelaide get a pick and an injection of foot motion, hard to find in Stephenson, who can play forwards exclusively and doesn’t have to be Adelaide’s stud. Narkle is a beautiful piece for the rebuilding crow too.
Fuel tackle, less used star and O’Brien upgrade
Ascendon Receiver: Josh Dunkley
Western Bulldogs get: Jack Lucasius, a Gold Coast second-rounder and an Ascendon second-rounder
Gold Coast Eclipse: Andrew McGraw
Dunkley is the star here. GC and Bombers make extra picks to cover the talent gap. The bombers get their man. Tackling machines with hard edges move man parish and elite everywhere and support Merrett’s kick. They are ultimately a midfield that complements each other. The next trade is to send Shil to OKC.
The dogs are playing Tim O’Brien as a defender and that’s a problem. He’s serviceable, but he’s not locked down and far from an elite kick. Lucasius offers a significant upgrade to the back half and has proven himself as a forward chops. McGrath seems to have lost to Merced the go-to kicker in Ascendon midfield and Parish got all the loose balls, leaving him just to run. He’s better than that, he’s a former No. 1 pick, and at Gold Coast Midfield, he’ll be looking for Polish decision maker and kicker Tok Miller.
Fantasy trade
Received by St. Kilda: Jeremy McGovern, Andrew Gaff and Luke Shuay
West Coast Gets: Two First Rounders, Mitch Owens, Nasiyah Wanganin-Miller and Ryan Byrnes
The saints have had enough. The time has come to break the drought and this trade sends their talents to another stratosphere. West Coast reverse their veterinarian cash for a bundle. Enough for the saints to win the flag? Remember, we’ve closed the pay cap… so let the Cents supporters dream.