WHAT is the dollar price of a draft pick?
It's the question that is set to be a major story in the upcoming Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period, with salary cap space the currency that clubs will choose to either offload or take on.
Clubs used to swap only players and draft selections, but cap space will be a key talking point in this year's exchange period and will help shape deals.
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Even in the lead-up, as clubs organise themselves well ahead of the official start of the trade period on October 3, which clubs have cap room and which don't has been a discussion point.
Greater Western Sydney is central to the discussion. They are set to lose Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto to Richmond, while Tanner Bruhn and Bobby Hill will also depart. It gives the Giants a chance to recalibrate their bulging cap, which has been stretched to retain some key players in recent seasons.
Melbourne's interest in Brodie Grundy as a ruck replacement for Luke Jackson is built on the premise that Collingwood would pay a portion of the remaining five years of his contract.
And in that case, what pick would suffice for a club moving out a player, paying some of his salary but benefitting from the cap space he would leave, which would enable the Pies to then bring in some of their own targets?
Bradley Hill has interest in leaving St Kilda and, with two years to go on his $900,000 deal, he would clear out salary cap room for the Saints to make other moves. Tom Mitchell has interest in departing Hawthorn, too, and would free up space for the Hawks with a year to go on his deal.
In modern trade discussions, clubs are using salary cap room as a weapon. It has become part of their deck of trading cards, joining picks and players as things to put on the table. With salary cap room, clubs are offering to take players and their money for the price of a draft choice.
For the seller – the club offloading the contract – it gives them flexibility to do other things. For the buyer – the club taking on the contract and the 'salary dump' – they do it to fill some of their own salary cap (clubs have to reach a minimum spend) but also for the benefit of getting something else for taking the cash (or part of it) off a rival's hands.
Gold Coast attempted to do this last year with Darcy Macpherson, who was contracted for 2022, and had North Melbourne considering it with the benefit of also getting pick 19.
The Roos couldn't convince Macpherson to come, though, and he stayed at the Suns and ended up extending his deal by two years to spread out his salary. Rivals again came for pick 19, which ended up going to Fremantle, along with Will Brodie.
There is an obvious step as to where the AFL has to take things to allow more movement.
During last year's Trade Period, some clubs enquired with the League about whether they could directly pay contracts of players who remain at other clubs in exchange for a draft pick.
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They weren't allowed, but it is clearly where clubs see things heading.
As an example, it could allow Essendon to use its salary cap room to pay $500,000 of Luke Parker's deal at Sydney in exchange for one of the Swans' first-round picks. It would alleviate any salary cap pressure faced at the Swans, make use of the Dons' money and also see them buy a pick.
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Restrictions could be enforced to ensure the best teams do eventually hit their cap – for example, a limit of one player per club having their salary paid by another – but it is the clear next step in the trade marketplace.
Expect it to be a topic in coming weeks as clubs use cap space to get deals done.
