This dynasty trade was made during the start-up draft in early-August in a 12-team superflex league with two rounds of devy each year. The league starts 1-1-1-1-3Flex-1SFlex and has a shallow two-man taxi squad for devy players. Any devy owned over the two-man taxi squad would occupy a roster spot.
The Approach
Having selected the 1.08, I hoped to land a quarterback like Jameis Winston to lock up the premium position. When I was on the clock, to my surprise both Winston and Russell Wilson were still available.
I explored trading down a few picks but found the teams at the turn were only interested in trading down further. Other teams expressed interest in trading up from the late 2nd and 3rd rounds to my 1.08 pick. While I was working a deal to trade down from my pick, I also worked with the teams at the turn to try to trade up to their picks. The key to this deal was negotiating both deals to involve different pieces.
The Trades
Gave 1.08, 15.08, 28.05
Received 3.10, 4.03, 10.03, 2017 Devy 1
Gave 3.08, 4.05, 5.08, 6.05, 10.05
Received 1.11, 2.02, 26.02, 27.11, 28.02
I was able to get both owners to offer me their deals so I could simultaneously accept both. When you combine these offers, this works out to a huge win for my dynasty team. If you consider the difference of two draft slots negligible in the third, fourth and tenth rounds, the trade works out to the below.
Gave 1.08, 5.08, 6.05, 15.8
Received 1.11, 2.02, 2017 Devy 1
These trades allowed me to add a top-15 player at minimal cost. With the way the draft had progressed, I was confident the extra pick would allow me to land a premium young quarterback. In fact, when I was back on the clock at 1.11, both Wilson and Winston were still available. After a quick negotiation with the owner at 1.12, I was able to secure both quarterbacks.
Takeaways
Staying flexible and active during the early rounds of a startup is vital. Because this league had a group chat app, I was able to work these trades with the other owners more quickly than sending offers through the league site and waiting for rejections with comments. If you are able to stay active, sometimes you can find value in facilitating a trade for two other teams while carving out a profit for yourself in the process. When working simultaneous trades, it is vital to convince the other owners to offer the trades to you, especially if you are considering the deals jointly. If you have a handshake agreement with the owners, but send them offers to accept, you can end up in a situation where the second owner reconsiders their trade after seeing the trade email of your first deal.
