The trade period has changed significantly over the decade.
It has gone from one week to three weeks to somewhere in between and we are now seeing close to 40 moves made per year, double what we saw in 2010.
Some trades have stood out ahead of others, with teams adding players at a reasonable price who have gone on to become key parts of the club.
Here is the best value trade of each year this decade.
2010: Sam Jacobs from Carlton to Adelaide for picks 36 and 53
When you give up two mid-round picks for a ruckman who plays at least 19 games every season between 2011 and 2018, you have done well.
Jacobs was a rock for the Crows across a number of strong years for the club and has only now been moved on.
He won three Showdown Medals in his time with Adelaide and made multiple All-Australian squads.
2011: Jack Gunston, pick 53 and 71 from Adelaide to Hawthorn for picks 24, 46 and 64
Jack Gunston’s appearance on this list really goes without saying. He has kicked 347 goals in 178 games for the Hawks and been a key cog in some incredible teams.
The forward has won three premierships, two Hawthorn leading goal kicker awards in a row and was an All-Australian in 2018.
The Hawks essentially gave up pick 24 for their current vice-captain, who still has plenty of footy left in him.
2012: Brian Lake and pick 27 from the Western Bulldogs to Hawthorn for picks 21 and 43
Lake only spent three seasons with the Hawks, but filled a vital role at full back and added another dimension to an already incredible team.
His crowning moment would come in 2013, winning the Norm Smith Medal in his first season with the club.
Lake finished his career with three flags and the Hawks more or less picked him up for selection 43.
2013: Elliot Yeo from Brisbane to West Coast for pick 28
The Lions lost multiple key players in 2013, including Sam Docherty and Jared Polec, but the loss of Elliot Yeo would be the most painful.
Yeo has become one of the competition’s best midfielders, with SEN Breakfast’s Garry Lyon declaring him the best player in the competition in 2019.
The 26-year-old has made two All-Australian teams, won two consecutive best and fairest awards and a premiership as an Eagle.
2014: Dayne Beams and pick 67 from Collingwood to Brisbane for Jack Crisp, picks 5 and 25
This was a rare trade that ended up being a big win for both teams.
Brisbane would get a marquee player to build around a future captain of their club.
Collingwood used pick five on Jordan de Goey, traded pick 25 for Levi Greenwood and banked Jack Crisp, who has had an excellent career to date.
Of course, Beams has since returned to the Pies and struggled with a hip injury and ongoing mental health issues, but the first part of this trade worked out well for both parties.
2015: Patrick Dangerfield and pick 50 from Adelaide to Geelong for Dean Gore, picks 9 and 28
Dangerfield’s situation was rather unique given he was a free agent who elected to be traded, allowing Adelaide to receive some compensation for his departure.
This allowed the Crows to draft Wayne Milera, but Dean Gore never played a game and pick 28 was part of a trade with Carlton for Troy Menzel.
The Cats meanwhile got one of the best players in the game who has won a Brownlow Medal and four consecutive All-Australian teams since coming to Geelong.
2016: Toby Nankervis from Sydney to Richmond for pick 46
This may not have been the most high profile trade of 2016, with the likes of Tom Mitchell, Sam Mitchell, Brad Hill, Jordan Lewis, Travis Cloke, Brett Deledio and Jaeger O’Meara all moving clubs, but it was arguably the most important.
Richmond would go on to win the 2017 premiership and Nankervis came from nowhere to be one of the game’s most consistent ruckmen at ground level and a strong body at the contest.
The Tigers were incredible over the back half of the season, but you could certainly argue they would not have won the flag without their fiery new ruckman.
2017: Pick 2 from Gold Coast to Fremantle for Lachie Weller and pick 41
The only trade on this list where the winner received a pick rather than a player, this deal stands out given the Suns were desperate to acquire a young talented player who wanted to be on the Gold Coast.
They were so keen to bring Weller into the fold that they handed over the second pick in the draft, well overs given his output at the time and his performance since joining the club.
This gave the Dockers two picks in the top five of the draft and allowed them to select midfielder Andrew Brayshaw.
2018: Tom Scully from GWS to Hawthorn for a 2019 fourth round pick
A number of big name players moved clubs in 2018, but the sheer value here gets the Scully trade over the line.
The Giants wished to move on from Scully’s contract and the Hawks were more than happy to oblige and help him rehab from an ankle injury that some believed at the time would see him miss most of 2019.
The midfielder would end up playing 21 games, building as the season went on and given he is only 28, Scully has multiple years of good football ahead of him.
Given the price paid for the likes of Dylan Shiel, Steven May, Jesse Hogan, Lachie Neale, Chad Wingard, Dan Hannebery and more – the Scully trade stands out from the pack.
2019: Jack Steven from St Kilda to Geelong for pick 58
It is obviously impossible to judge any trades that happened in 2019, given we haven’t seen the on-field result just yet.
However, the Cats acquired a four-time best and fairest winner for the same pick they received for depth ruckman Zac Smith when they sent him to the Gold Coast.
That seems good.