By Jamie Morrison

Trading here on hoops.sports.ws is a difficult art to perfect. I do not pretend to have mastered it—I don't think anyone has—but I will try to let you know of some tips:

Firstly, do not trade on the matter that one player is younger than the other - this means nothing. For instance, if you had Sam Cassell it would not be a good trade to trade for Dwayne Wade straight up (1 for 1) because we will only do one season - and Cassell is one of the best players in the league. The fact that we only play one season means that player progression during the offseason is not a big factor.

Secondly, you should try to get at least one person on your team that you think will have a breakthrough year. For example, last year, you could practically pick Carlos Boozer off a 12 team draft Free Agent list after the draft finishes. Now look at him - going in the top 50 just about all the time. You will be able to play him on the bench, until he starts to do well. You could end up getting the sleeper of the draft.

Thirdly, never let comments fool you, people are almost always trying to play you for a fool. For example, if you reject a trade, it is likely that they will come up with only a slightly improved offer. This could mean rejecting McDyess, Snow, Christie and pick 97 for Marion and Boozer. They could well offer McDyess, Snow, Christie, pick 79 and pick 97 and then comment on it saying - this is an amazing deal. Antonio McDyess is a beast in the post, Snow is an assist magnet and Christie can shoot. On top of that, you'd get 2 picks, what more could you want for overrated Shawn Marion and flukey Carlos Boozer. They upgrade their players in your mind as well as degrading yours. You must remember - they want these guys because they're great players. This is their way of playing you. Read the comments if you want - but always use stats to work out what's a good trade and what's not.

Fourthly, write comments about your trade. This sounds stupid after what I just said, but if they do not know that they shouldn't read the comments - they may take your comments to heart and trade stars away for no more than benchwarmers.

Finally, know in your mind who you would want for your players - or at least what quality of players you will want. This way, you won't get played in the trade. For example, you won't accept 1 starter and 3 benchies for Jermaine O’Neal - you will want a star in return.

Remember these tips - and the chances are - you'll have fair trades - or maybe even the better side of the trade