Welcome to the Dynasty Trading Post, where optimizing strategy, roster construction, format, and player value oscillations are examined weekly in completed dynasty trades.
This is the final installment of the 2025 season, covering dynasty trading settings and rules to examine for the offseason.
Dynasty Trading Rules
Paying Deposits
One key decision in dynasty leagues is whether to pay deposits for future seasons at the start of the league, or wait until a team trades a rookie pick (or reaches a certain level). From experience, having a pay-to-trade setup where trading any future pick (or specifically a Round 1 pick) triggers a deposit at that time inhibits trading activity overall. If someone does not want to pay at the time, a deal can die on the operating table. Dynasty teams will definitely view a trade as 'well, I have to pay for next year' as part of the calculus, independent of the trade itself. One positive is that it will highlight those potentially leaving the league the following offseason, but the negative is hindering trading in the league, which is an overt negative, as trading is one of the highlights of dynasty leagues in general over redraft leagues.
The easiest time to free up trading is before the startup draft. Simply have everyone pay a deposit on file, then offer free trading for future picks. If a manager leaves the league in the future, the deposit is returned if the team is filled by a new manager paying in full. If a discount is needed to fill the opening, the difference is taken from the deposit to keep the prize pool full. The risk of having no deposit on file and no deposit paid when trading away (at a minimum 1st round) future picks makes it challenging to fill the opening if a manager leaves the league after trading away a trove of picks with minimal results.
One macro point here is that many dynasty leagues rush the initial phases of filling a league, paying entry fees, and beginning the startup draft. Instead, establish a strong culture of pragmatic rules and guidelines that minimize annual turnover and maximize each team's freedom to build its roster.
No Trade Deadline
The stigma that having no trade deadline destroys a dynasty league with teams buying a championship is largely false. One perk of not having a trade deadline is that it can substantially aid non-contending teams by extending the window to sell older producers or flash streamers late in the season. Also, non-contending teams, or teams that lost in the previous round, can take advantage of still-contending teams that suffer a lineup-impacting injury. If holding those streamers or older producers into the offseason, the sell market can devolve to zero until, possibly, close to the next regular season.
Also, many dynasty leagues do not open trading immediately after the season ends in January; instead, they remain dormant until March or even the rookie draft. One key is to have teams pay for the following season before trading rights for that team are activated. This encourages teams to pay to be involved in the trading market.
One macro point is to set a payment deadline early in the offseason in dynasty leagues. Too often, league openings are not known until a league is trying to start its annual draft, or even later in the summer. Also, a league that does not keep in contact with its teams about the next season can lose track of teams, with no sense of an offseason calendar. For a typical dynasty league with its annual May draft (the most common), I recommend a payment deadline at least by the beginning of April, if not earlier, to allow time to fill any openings and potentially run a dispersal draft without delaying the annual draft.
Taxi Squad Stealing
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