In some leagues, trades happen infrequently. In others, they occur about as often as Halley's Comet shows up (every 76 years or so). Still, it's part of fantasy football tradition that you at least give it a shot. Trades can happen, after all. And while it's hard to identify methods that work across all leagues, it's pretty easy to point out ways you can mess up your chances everywhere. There are no set “dos” but there are universal “don’ts.” No matter your situation, don't do the following things if you want a chance at making a trade happen.
Don't wait too long. Odds are you still have more than a month before your trade deadline, so you might think you're seeing this column too early. In reality, I could have posted it a week or two ago. Lots of trade opportunities fizzle out because the parties involved simply run out of time. Trades often involve plenty of back and forth, and sometimes several days go by while one side waits for a response. You don't want to be in a position where you're hounding someone because you only have a couple days left, or you miss out entirely because you simply didn't get far enough in the process. Start now, and at least time will be on your side.
Don't insult people. Nothing shuts down a trade (or a manager) more than getting a lopsided, ridiculous offer that assumes the other person is a fool. If you're lucky, the offer will just get ignored. But many times you're silently banned as a trading partner for this year, and maybe longer. I've gotten offers like this, and I just let them sit on the website. I don't respond to the offer, I don't respond to follow up texts and I don't have any real interest in working with them in the future. Eventually they just quietly rescind the offer and move on. Don't be that manager. You definitely want to make your team better, but you don't have to peddle snake oil while doing it.
Don't pretend 3-for-1 trades are a good deal. Back in the prehistoric era, in a time before app-based leagues, roster sizes were more flexible. But today you can only have so many players on your team. Giving someone three guys for one of theirs does very little for them, because they'll have to cut two guys anyway to accept whatever you're sending. If you're proposing multiple players make sure they're clearly better than who they already have, or balance it out by having them send their worst guys to even it out. The days of piling garbage on garbage to make the deal seem sweeter are over. You're just wasting time you don't really have.
Don't complain if a deal doesn't get done. Whining about not getting what you want this year is a great way to kill any potential deals for next year, too. Just accept it and move on.
Don't ever, ever brag that you "won" a trade. Even if you think you won, keep it to yourself. It will create animosity from your trading partner and make other managers wary of becoming your next victim. Besides, you might have lost the trade and just don't know it yet.
Don't trade just to trade. Are you sure these deals are even necessary? I think some managers are addicted to the fun of negotiating and getting deals done and are less concerned with actually improving their team. Ask yourself why you want to make this deal. Pretend you have to explain it to angry fans on the radio. If you can't provide a clear, objective rationale for making a trade, maybe it's not the right move.
Don't complain if a deal doesn't get done. Oh, I wrote that already? Well, it needs to be emphasized again. Complaining that another manager was too difficult, or wanted too much, or didn't respond fast enough just makes you look like a baby. So it didn't work out like you wanted. Welcome to Trading 101. We've all been there.
Avoiding all of these pitfalls doesn’t guarantee anything, but it gives you better odds and that might be a good start. Good luck this week.
Do trades ever happen in your league? Have any of the above derailed a trade for you? Do you have any tips to help make them happen? Share your thoughts below.