Contracted GWS duo Nick Haynes and Lachie Whitfield have been touted as potential trade options at the Giants as the New South Wales club braces for a busy off-season.
Already in search for a new head coach, the Giants have also been floated to have a target on their back in the player market, with key names - contracted or not - linked to the exit in 2022.
Star midfielder Tim Taranto is understood to be in the sights of as many as four Victorian clubs as he weighs up his future, while Bobby Hill and Tanner Bruhn are expected to request moves south at season's end.
Jacob Hopper, who is currently tied to the club until the end of next year, is also rumoured to be gaining strong rival interest, with the likes of Geelong, Richmond and Adelaide linked to the contested ball-winner.
The bevy of senior players seen as no guarantee to be in orange and charcoal for 2023 would only compound any concern a potential coach would have in taking on the Giants' job, and their list issues could get worse before they get better.
With the likes of Josh Kelly, Toby Greene, Lachie Whitfield and Stephen Coniglio penned to lucrative long-term deals, the salary flexibility at GWS is unlikely to allow them substantial wiggle room to add to their list.
If anything, it could push players out the door.
Departures for Taranto, Hopper, Hill and Bruhn would open up some space, while a potential move for Magpie Brodie Grundy would only fill the hole in again.
Now, according to SEN's Sam Edmund, both Haynes and Whitfield have been tossed up as potential trade options within the four walls of Giants HQ.
While a spot on the trade table is understood to be unlikely, Edmund's report suggests members at GWS may be open to entertaining the idea.
Haynes last re-signed with the Giants on a five-year deal in 2019, while Whitfield is tied to the club until the end of 2027.
Both All-Australian and best and fairest winners with GWS, the pair would demand substantial returns on the open market should keen suitors emerge.
Haynes has battled both injury and form throughout this year, having been forced to feature at VFL level in Round 13, with caretaker coach Mark McVeigh having fancied Harry Himmelberg in defence alongside Sam Taylor.
McVeigh himself is also no certainty to be with the club next season as he pushes his case for the GWS vacancy, having managed a 3-7 record since taking over the reins from Leon Cameron.
A four-game losing streak has seen McVeigh's chances for the gig wane, while the club has met with four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson and Melbourne assistant Adem Yze.
McVeigh will be given the chance to present to the Giants at season's end, with senior figures of the club having recently expressed their support for the former Bomber after an honest assessment of his side's Round 20 loss to Sydney.
The 41-year-old will have remaining matches against Essendon, the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle to strengthen his case for the senior coaching role.
