As news broke on Saturday morning of Zak Butters nominating his preferred new home immediately turned the question to how a deal gets done.
Butters has made clear he wants the Power to receive adequate compensation for his departure after leaving on good terms after eight years of service.
The Western Bulldogs currently have Picks 12, 30 and 48 this year, as well as all of their picks in the 2027 and 2028 drafts.
The issue when discussing a deal of such magnitude is that the introduction of Tasmania from next year's AFL Draft will limit the Dogs' currency with draft selections.
Despite the strength of particularly next year's draft, a first rounder will ostensibly be a second rounder once the Devils' bevy of draft concessions are accounted for. Though it is worth mentioning the Power will be on the hunt for draft points to match likely high picks for a pair of club-tied talents in next year's draft.
It puts the incumbency on the Dogs to likely find a way to give the Power currency in this year's draft or give up a player - or both.
Below are three potential scenarios which could play out.
Option 3: Involve a player
Port Adelaide receives: Rory Lobb, 2026 first round pick (via Western Bulldogs), 2026 third round pick (via Western Bulldogs), 2027 second round pick (via Western Bulldogs).
Western Bulldogs receives: Zak Butters, 2026 fourth round pick (via Port Adelaide), 2027 fourth round pick (via Port Adelaide).
Port Adelaide has set itself up well for the next two intakes to match a bid for its tied talent and will naturally still have presence in the open pool given how much capital would be expected for Zak Butters.
Therefore, the Dogs involving a player would be lucrative.
Rory Lobb presents as a player who could form part of a deal.
His contract expires at the end of next year and, despite the backline exceeding expectations this year, there remains a persistent belief the Dogs will bring someone in to play on the best key forwards of the competition.
With James O'Donnell viewed as an emerging leader and Buku Khamis recently recommitting his future, does Lobb's role become somewhat marginalised with the addition of another first choice backman?
It's a deal the Dogs would only consider if they were certain another defender was on the way - and even then, it could be hard to justify.
But there have been rumblings about a Lobb exit and he would be worth more this year than when he comes out of contract next year.
Lobb wants to play in defence and playing alongside one of the premiere key defenders in the competition who has played a lone hand this year, Aliir Aliir, would surely be lucrative.
It also limits the decimated draft hand the Dogs would be faced with.
What we have not mentioned until this point of the story is the Dogs have their own Next Generation Academy talent in this year's crop who becomes exceptionally difficult to match a bid for if their hand is used to get Butters in the door.
At this stage Khaled El Souki is expected to net a bid early on the second night of the AFL Draft and fits a list need for the Dogs perfectly as a crumbing front and centre goal kicker which they have lacked in recent years.
The added layer of involving a player is it likely also preserves their ability to match a bid as they see fit.
This deal would allow the Dogs to hold on to Pick 30, plus whatever they receive in any other trades, potentially for Tim English, to give them a chance to match a bid - or at least maintain enough currency in next year's hand to trade into this year's draft.
