Especially if they are in the 15 spot or higher in the round. And please, do not be an idiot and trade those high draft picks to a team that is already a division, conference, or league champ. Please and TY. If you need further explanation based on a lot of experience and teams, send me a PM and/or you can review my "Trading 101", which is posted in any of the 4 leagues that I admin.

If you do decide to trade a 1st round pick, do not trade for an 8 yr or older vet, and its 50/50 as far as a 5-8 yr vet goes. Do not make your decision based on the trade meter.... the values can be way off. If you are a sub 500 team, hang on to those 1st round picks, they are GOLD. And a high 2nd round pick can be a real asset also. So please, be careful with your picks and trading, dont make it tougher on the rest of the league to compete with a top team. If your going to trade your 1st and 2nd round pick, do it with a 500 or less team.

I totally agree with GrandadB that trading is tough business so be knowledgeable about it ..... or please ask some one for guidance.

If you trade for veteran players its not issue but please be aware his true value and fitment to your plan.

I will only beg to differ on one view point..... you should trade to whoever gives you better value for you trade....and should not trade with just bottom teams.....end of the day you need to improve your team.

And odds are, if you are questioning it at all, you shouldn't pull the trigger.

Free Agency is a desert in competitive leagues, and you'll be overpaying by double for 73 overall bench depth.

So even if that 88 rated 29 year old can help you now, don't. Because you'll be drafting in the same spot when he retires on you in 3 years.

I did put a cap of no more than 3 x 1st round picks can be held by any team going into the draft, I also gave some thought into capping 2s as well but decided against it as I didn't want to restrict trading so much it made it difficult. Also Trading is a good way to keep leagues fun and active.

I think more emphasis needs to be put on people who readily giving up high picks.... Do you really need to make this trade? Is it really that valuable?

So, we now have a team that finished the last season at 15-1, the Bucs, who have the 1.1, 1.2, 1,12, 2.1, 2.2, and 2.5 picks in the upcoming draft. Its been a long time since Ive seen someone pull that one off, and lots of luck competing with that roster over the next several seasons. To add insult to injury, the Bucs have 3 1st rounders and 6 2nds in the 2009 draft!! Sorry, but that is ridiculous and is on a level that has not been seen before. Best of luck to you all, hkp has set a new standard for trading and acquiring high 1st & 2nd round picks in this league. I hope all the owners with .500 teams or less learn a lesson from this situation and realize that their high 1st round picks are much more valuable than a 1.30 or lower with a couple of 8 yr vets thrown in the deal. Also, realize that position rank & importance has changed quite a bit with 4.4, and will see what happens in 4.5. Used to be that one of the most important positions, if not the most, was the CB1. 4.4 changed that. Also WR has been clipped quite a bit in 4.4, and now TE1 is more important than WR1. LBs are much more important now, ones that can also cover the pass in the flats to RBs. So, I will be dropping the Ravens, its come down to having to choose between teams that have a good chance and future potential at the LC and those that dont, 12 teams are 3 too many.

I just traded out of the #2 pick. Am I an idiot?

you're an accomplished and winning owner GDB. You have more LCs than most of us combined. While I agree that its ludicrous that one team can have that many top picks, I would expect you to accept that challenge like the rest of us and persevere.

Well Mac, if Im looking at the trade you're referring to, you traded the 1.2 for a 1.5, not a big drop, right? For the drop in 3 spots you got a good WR and a RT than I have rated at 58 with a 200 trade meter value, good example of why not to trust the trade meter. Overall, I would say you were not an idiot, lol. You didnt trade your 1.1 or 1.2 for a 1.30. So, this one does not "qualify" or is anyway comparable to the other trades involving 1.10 and 2.10 or higher picks, and the Browns are not a .500 or lower team to start with. Best of luck to you and the rest of league, you get to compete against what is already a top notch roster that will stack 6 high round 1's and NINE 2's in the next 2 drafts, followed by 3 more 1st rounders and 6 2nd rounders in the 2010 draft. That is an amazing accumulation of high picks, best that Ive seen in 3 years on here. Got to hand it to you hkp, you worked it hard & relentlessly, I got a taste of it with your recent offers to me for my first and second round picks, dont you have enough already? you are the "Gecko" of MFN, lol, congrats.

ha ha. I know. I was joking about the trade, but rather you stay, especially with the Ravens.
That will make it a tough division for sure. As for Tampa, they are going to run into salary cap issues with those high picks and will have to devote some serious time and effort to trade them or find another way to stay under. just for me, I'd like you to stay regardless, given the rivalry we had before, and whats better than Browns/Ravens!

I assume this is one of the reasons you left Atlanta. I saw this coming 3-4 seasons ago. I almost left when you did, GrandadB.
I hope Mcarovil is correct and Tampa Bay struggles to keep the players he's procured in a few seasons. I'm skeptical, because of how often he trades. Tampa Bay is a revolving door of talent.