The 2-1 Trade, A Fantasy Manager's Best Tactic to Win.

The 2-1 trading style, or alternatively the 3-2, can substantially increase the quality of your fantasy rotation. When performed correctly, it’s an almost foolproof way to add players to your team that you should never have a chance at getting given the price you are paying. The basics of the strategy involve offering an opponent two players from your squad for one player on his squad (or 3 for 2), where the player on his squad is the best player involved in the deal. The players you offer should generally be one starter and one bench player, where the bench player is considered ‘rosterable’ (i.e. he’s not someone you’d be dropping anytime soon). Generally the starter on your squad and the star player you are trading for, play the same position. From your standpoint you are dealing in order to ‘upgrade’ a specific position. From the counterparty’s standpoint, they are downgrading but are getting something worthwhile to do so:

Here’s an example:


You give to your opponent in a trade: David Lee (ranked about 30th) and Courtney Lee (ranked about 100 but top 5 overall in steals per game)
You get from your opponent: Chris Bosh (ranked about 10th)

This type of trade is ideal for your opponent should they be in the position where they are in need of steals (and particularly if you are not). In this case, what they give up doesn’t hurt so much because of the benefit they get back. Since Courtney Lee was sitting on your bench (in roto) or adding to a category you aren’t in need of (in all formats), you’ve essentially traded David Lee for Chris Bosh, a huge upgrade indeed.

There is one huge side effect to making a deal like this that actually further increases the benefit to you, the freed up roster spot. Let’s say you’ve made the trade above and currently John Salmons is sitting on your FA wire. By picking him up once the trade goes through, you’ve effectively changed this from a 2-1 trade to a 2-2 trade, with Salmons being the second player you received. I don’t know many ballas that wouldn’t be geeked at landing Salmons and Bosh for Lee and Lee. Particularly if the swap of steals for treys (between Salmons and C. Lee) boosts your squad.

At the outset of every season I scout the FA wire and make a list of guys sitting out there that should be on somebody’s roster. I then scout my opponents to see who is holding a player that doesn’t deserve to be on a roster whatsoever. This is important because the person you trade with will have to drop a player to make the trade with you. If they don’t have a droppable guy, they won’t do the deal. In some cases, you might have to literally hold the opponents hand through the deal by offering a 2-2 trade where the second player he deals is one that should be on the FA wire. For instance:

You give: David Lee and Courtney Lee
You get: Chris Bosh and Andres Nocioni (ranked YUCK!)

Once the trade goes through, you’re simply dumping Noc for Salmons, doing the dirty work for your trade partner. This is a very effective way to upgrade players in your lineup. This is how I stack my team with Tier Three’s and Tier Two’s at the season’s outset. No matter how competitive the league, and believe me mine is competitive, there are ALWAYS guys on the FA wire that shouldn’t be there, and guys on teams that shouldn’t be there, for at least the first two months.

That owner was holding Nocioni for a reason, usually because he read some –run of the mill beat writer- from yahoo or espn or wherever write up a glorious praise for one night’s performance. Now he’s got to fight with having Nocioni on his bench, or dropping him, which is harder than you think because he is fighting his own ego. You are merely offering to give him an ‘out’ on Mr. Nocioni.

I know what your next question will be: how do I know if that guy on the FA wire is rosterable? Simple, look at the worst player on your team and compare his averages with the best available FA wire players averages. Are they close? Does the FA player start for their team? Do they get 30+ minutes a night? Did they just replace an injured guy for the season? All questions to be asked, and if you’re really in doubt, The Thief is always here to help.

Now we’re already over a month into the season, and those FA wires are getting bare. So get out there and propose some deals before the last rosterable option gets scooped up. Remember, targeting what other teams need will make the trade go smoother and will generate positive buzz about you in your league!