$11m over 8 years and pick 6: What is Blakey worth?

Nick Blakey aims to depart the Sydney Swans before the trade deadline this Wednesday night despite having five years to run on his contract, meaning the Swans can play hard ball.

There is a clear fractured relationship between Blakey, who wants to leave, and the Swans, who are open to trading him.

As reported by Tom Morris last Friday, Blakey has North Melbourne firmly in his sights with $11-12 million over eight years on the table.

So what is Nick Blakey worth? North Melbourne has Pick 6 which is a key centrepiece of the deal, but what else will they need to satisfy the Swans?

North's next pick is in the 40s which isn’t enough, however, they do have their future first and second-round picks of 2027 and 2028 at their disposal.

If North Melbourne were to finish in the bottom half of the ladder again next year - which I predict they will - then their first pick could be around Pick 10, but it could also blow out to pick 15-20 with Tasmania getting seven of the first 13 selections.

The Kangaroos' possible year on year improvement means they could end up higher on the ladder, receiving a poorer draft hand.

I believe an extra first-round pick would get the deal done which leads us to the uncompromised draft of 2028.

The Saints were reportedly willing to offer three first-round draft picks which included Picks 8 and 14 in this year's draft and a future first, and so they believe Blakey's value is around this mark.

North would be hoping to land a first-round pick in a trade for Zane Duursma with the Demons' Pick 14, but a second-round pick of Pick 33 seems more likely in my opinion.

Therefore Pick 6 and both the first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 would suffice.

It’s on North to pay up. And if they don’t, they’ll miss out on a player they’ve committed to and who has committed to them.