How to get top draft picks without tanking

[BLONG7]

That's not true, Buffalo has 3 1st round picks this year, and Edmonton and TB both have 2. So that's 4 picks that have already been traded and we haven't passed the trade deadline yet.

Most contenders easily trade away their 1st round picks since it's a late round pick during a season. If teams trade a pick during the off-season or early in the year, they usually put a condition that if it's a lottery pick, they can defer their pick to the next year (which is what the Islanders did last year), thanks to Burke's bonehead trade, most teams now protect themselves.

Almost no one...almost...
Not that it doesn't happen as you mention, but not very often...is a 1st round pick traded...but the contenders will on occasion trade their 1st round pick, if they are going for a deep run...and their core is young.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

yeah multiple 1sts get traded every season