It's all part of the game. Some managers are very aggressive traders. More power to them. If they can find a manager that might be inexperienced or just unknowledgable, then they feast. It's up to the commish to ensure that the sharks don't completely rip off the inexperienced.

When it comes to trading, I tend to be very cautious. I'll trade an excess for a need. I'll trade a vet for a prospect, or vice versa, depending on my short or long term plans. But I'm not fond of large multi-player deals. A blockbuster might be fun, but you better know what you're doing. If I'm going to give up an all-star, I better get one in return. You'll never win if you trade a star for a package of mediocres.

You can tell who offers fair deals and who is just out for a bargain deal. The first offer says a lot. If it's ridiculous there's usually no point in continuing because he usually has no interest in making a fair trade, he's just trying to get a bargain. I'm no angel, I've tried it too.

You can avoid the sharks because you don't have to trade to improve. Having a plan, knowing who to drop/keep and smart drafting can be just as effective in improving a team. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't do. You can still trade fair, just make sure it fits in with your plan. I hope I'm just stating the obvious here.

People gripe that their league is inactive because nobody wants to trade. Well, so what? If you're happy with your team, then don't trade just for the sake of trading. Being cautious about trading doesn't take away any of the fun for me. My fun comes from winning, not trading.