Alright, I'm thinking about making a rule change this season to allow future draft picks to be traded. I am almost certain I will make this change, since for the first time, I feel we have ten people who are very dedicated to sticking with this league for the long haul. However, to make this change, some details need to be ironed out.
First, I believe we should only allow picks for the next draft to be traded. That would mean right now, you could only trade picks for this year's draft. Once the season begins, you could start dealing your '05 picks. This seems pretty reasonable to me, but let me know if you disagree.
The more complicated issue is regarding how this would affect protecting players. Should any extra picks you acquire count against the 16 players you can protect? Likewise, any extra picks you trade away, should they allow you to protect more than 16 players? If we go this route, everyone will still be at 28 players at the conclusion of the draft, unless they make an unbalanced trade after the roster cuts are made.
The other alternative is to keep the 16 player protection limit the way it is. This would require teams that acquire extra draft picks to forfeit picks at the end of the draft to stay under the 28 player limit. Teams with a shortage of picks would be under 28 at the end of the draft, but could easily use free agent signings to fill their rosters.
I am leaning towards the second choice at the moment, but could easily be convinced to change my mind. I want to hear your opinions.
Of course, if you think allowing future draft picks to be traded is a bad idea to begin with, please speak up as well. This certainly is not a done deal.