Port Adelaide is open to every available option when discussing compensation for Zak Butters, who confirmed his departure from the club last week.
The Power are largely believed to be matching any contract offered for Butters, who is being hunted by Geelong, the Western Bulldogs and Richmond, with the latter deemed to be behind its two rivals.
The Alberton club can force a trade by matching the offer for the restricted free agent, but could also receive a compensation pick, which as it stands, could be Pick 5.
“It's pretty complex," Port Adelaide football boss Ben Rutten said.
"It's not just as simple as a straight swap or whatever these days, and there's still probably another month to go until that trade window really opens up. So there's a lot to play out, and we don't have clarity; we don't have certainty on what that looks like.
"The plan is to get what's in the best interest of the Port Adelaide footy club. And there's a range of things of what that could look like: players, picks, matching, compensations, all that. That's all on the table for us.
“There's a world where lots of things can happen. That's the reality of it, and we don't know where it's at and what it might look like (yet). (Matching an offer is) an option. We've got capacity to do that. We've been planning for Zak to be retained at the football club, and that's been a big part of this year, is making sure that we put ourselves in the best position to retain Zak. It hasn't gone that way, so we're looking at what that looks like."
Rutten alluded to Butters' standing in the AFL, suggesting he would warrant a fair draft bounty.
Sydney released three first-round selections to Carlton for Charlie Curnow among other pick swaps. Geelong paid the same price for Jeremy Cameron when he crossed from GWS.
Coming into Port Adelaide's consideration is the looming bid on Pick 1 fancy Dougie Cochrane.
"I think everyone's well aware of Zak's standing in the game and what he's capable of, and he's got a lot of footy left in him," Rutten said.
“It's far more complicated than (just saying how much we think he's worth). I mean, I think we've seen that in the past. There's comparisons about other deals, and there's always things that come in, things that go out.
"The NGA and the father-son and the matching of bids and things being pushed out. They're all the factors that we need to consider with what the deal looks like.”
