Trading: It's what the CSL does
In any given season, there's only a handful of teams genuinely capable of challenging for the championship (barring intervention from the basketball gods, of course). So where does that leave the rest of the CSL? Partaking in the trade market and the draft - free agency to a much lesser extent. It takes months for the most beautiful day in summer, and free agency has been a muted affair in recent years, giving most teams' cap situations. That leaves trading as the single biggest activity driver in the league - something the CSL administration recognized when they relaxed the trade rules in the newest CBA.
We here at the Times love seeing trades, especially of the win-win variety, so we've put together this special report of psychological profiles. Keep in mind: every GM in the league has aspects of all of these, but one or two types will stand out as a given GM's personality. We'll also list three representative GMs of each type, and do our best to include as many front office heads as we can, though we can't include everyone due to lack of information. And some GMs are such a blend of types that they don't stand out as a signature representative.
The Shopper
We'll start with the shoppers, because that's only fitting. These guys are the ones that will constantly blow up your phones, giving you offers to consider. They love trading, sometimes over-trading, in pursuit of something new and exciting to shake up their team and be in a better position to eventually claim the coveted CSL trophy. Most of them also enjoy extended negotiations, and will happily spend weeks hammering out the final details on a deal. Occasionally this can lead them to making an initial offer that is so incompatible with a player's perceived trade value that it leads to literal LOL moments and sharing war stories. But no mistake - without these guys, the CSL would have a lot fewer deals. They're the openers, and the vital life-blood of the trade market.
A subtype of the Shopper is the Hype Man. These are the ones who fill your ear with how much this move will make your team better, fit your window, do your laundry, etc. You see them in their trade blocks highlighting their players' skillsets and trumpeting about their specialists. They'll post articles when one or more of their guys gets hot, showcasing the performance as evidence that this is someone truly special, especially in the right system, and you're the smart GM who can get it done. This can be taken to extremes - see Rodreyes in the NLL - "X player will average 20/10 with enough PT", even though that would never happen. Offers made by Hype Men are taken with a considerable grain of salt, but they also can give you unexpected insight into aspects of players you hadn't considered before.
Representative GMs: blackice, WillyJakkz, hardenwithnod
The Patient One
At the other end of the spectrum from the Shopper is the Patient One. They're not going to actively promote their players, other than perhaps a player getting a Trade Block feature, and it's rare that they actually make the first offer themselves - they'll simply check in with registered interest and a list of assets they're willing to discuss. This doesn't mean they're not going to be active in trading - some of the quintessential Patient Ones are ironically some of the most frequent shoppers. But they also can tell you at any given moment what they see as one of their players' Real Value and Trade Value, and they're not afraid to walk away if the Trade Value offered doesn't meet their assessment of the player's Real Value. This can lead to them hanging on to a player for years, despite not seeing said player as a long-term piece in their championship aspirations.
Because Patient Ones are much more passive compared to the Shopper and other more aggressive types detailed below, it's rare that you see a trade between two Patient Ones. Lakers GM Jestor, who is one of our representatives, describes it this way: "It's like you're two shy virgins in a bedroom. One of you is on one side of the bed, the other on the opposite it. You both wanna do it and get this thing consummated, but it's awkward. Neither of you really wants to make the first move, and if you do and the other person doesn't like it (the offer, in trade terms), then you're just like... well, shit... Might as well just go get breakfast or something, because the magic's not happening tonight, if ever. That's why if a trade does happen between two of this type, it's like the best lovemaking ever - all sweetness, light, and all things wonderful."
Representative GMs: Jestor, Mattybriand, Marcos_Beck
The Quick Striker
Many, though not all, GMs who are Patient Ones fall into this category, though it's not a subset in the same way that the Hype Man is the Shopper. These GMs simply do not have time for your shit, and while they're willing to negotiate to varying degrees, they're not going to spend a lot of time trying to hammer out a deal. Come with something at least close to your strongest offer, or save yourself the time of calling. The Shoppers know this type very well, and they know they're going to get hung up on with a "No" a lot, but they'll still keep trying, because that's what Shoppers do. On the flip side, Quick Strikers themselves will rarely just do a check-in (one of the biggest reasons why they're not a sub-type of Patient Ones, even though a PO is often a QS) - they'll come in with their best offer, or closest to it, straight away. A lot of these GMs are busy with other commitments that mean they want negotiations to be done as soon as possible, and not drawn out.
Representative GMs: mgtr81, cyrisnyte, Chilikonkarne (this last a projected representative after extensive trade talks led to a deal breaking down)
The Maximizer
We're not going to list any representatives here, because this is the type of GM that everyone but the Shoppers hate. These are the GMs that will seek to squeeze blood from stones and extract every single last drop of value out of every asset they have. Dealing with Maximizers means going in that they're going to place a premium value on their players, and the best you can realistically hope for is to get equal value. But even that is likely to take ages to work out. The rare trade you actually win with them? It's either a win-win, or you shockingly caught them in a weak moment. To be fair - every single GM in the CSL has this trait; it's simply good business to have that as part of your makeup. But when that's the dominant aspect of your trading personality, other teams aren't going to particularly like dealing with you very much - unless it's accompanied by one of the more positively received types.
The Conversationalist
This is less a trait that affects deals directly, and more about the negotiating experience itself. These are the guys who, you can spend hours talking to and negotiating with them, not come away with a deal, and yet you still walk out happy. Why? Because they give extensive reasoning for their position, and their thoughts on what they see as the Real Value and Trade Value of the pieces involved. These are GMs who genuinely love being in the CSL and will often talk to you about the league in general (in the case of Myles, creating the podcasts that are one of the CSL's best media outlets). The ease of getting a trade done with them is going to depend on which other type is primary in their psychological makeup, but no matter the difficulty, these are just fun dudes to discuss deals with.
Representative GMs: GreenBear, Sun Scorched, Myles
The Maestro
This isn't an active personality trait, and isn't genuinely part of the GM's psychological makeup at all. Rather, these are the GMs who have such an established reputation for smart trades, even if it's a win-win deal, you still find yourself lying in bed awake at night, asking yourself, "Where did I go wrong? What's the trick I missed?" Even if you're the one who made the initial offer and they accepted straightaway (perhaps even especially). This is particularly true if the Trade Chatter eviscerates you when the trade is posted. On the other hand, if public opinion says you won the trade outright, the rest of your day, maybe even your week, is made, because it's not often these guys lose on a move.
Representative GMs: OneNole, bt, lakeshowak7
We hope you've enjoyed this article on six psychological profiles (five if you don't consider the Maestro a profile, seven if you consider the Hype Man a separate type). Think we missed out on a type? Don't agree with where we've placed GMs? Let us know in the comments!
2028
In both the NLL and here, there isn't anyone I'd classify as a Maestro to the extent that I'm blown away by each of their deals or afraid to negotiate with them. That's not being tough, it's just different a matter of perception like I said earlier. I mean, some of the classifications you've listed surprised the hell out of me.