Trading: Pushing the boundries...

[StoneColdBrown]

That sounds like collusion to me. I believe in market forces, and have told owners many a time who complain about trades - even those that I feel are terribly unbalanced - that the market is at work and that they should have made more inquiries and/or better offers. Squeaky wheels get oil...or however that saying goes.

Collusion, though? Completely different story. The one and only rule I've ever had in my leagues is that I will not allow a deal if I think it's collusive. Even if a trade is balanced, I wouldn't let it go if I felt there were shenanigans behind it (say, two owners ganging up because of a mutual dislike for a third). That type of situation has never happened, but that's how I would handle it if it came up.

If you feel you have enough to substantiate a charge of collusion - and definitely if you have the league behind you - you have not only the power, but also the responsibility to strike it down. Not doing so could allow/foster similar deals in the future.

[fsbarren]

This is definitely an interesting trade scenario, lol.

Firstly, I don't think a new type of trade (or one that wasn't explicitly explained as an option beforehand) should be allowed midseason. It should have been vetoed and tabled as an issue to vote/decide on the following season in 2013 (I also think the fact that the commish was involved in one looks bad even if it was honest). Above all else, a league had to protect it's legitimacy and integrity or it's not worth doing.

That being said, I don't like rent-a-player here. It adds an extra and IMHO unnecessary level of complexity. Now when I trade with someone I have to look at their roster AND their trade history to make sure I'm not make sure I'm not making them too strong. Whether it means to or not, it just has a shady feel to it that can affect the league's perception to the other owners (I'd be totally against it).

I definitely don't like the second scenario either. More than anything else, it just seems like a way to cleverly circumvent the rules. As I said, from a practical standpoint it also adds a level of complexity that the league may find gets too crazy to keep track of.

Curious to see how your league goes on this.

Good luck.