Feign Disappointment
Example:
Wizard mock GM: "Hey, I'll give you Bilal Coulibaly as long as you give me Patty Mills and a couple second round picks
Heat GM: "That's a disappointing offer. Why would I do that? Have to lower the amount of second round picks.
Wizards GM: Fine, only one second round pick.
Heat GM; Alright, that's a fair dealing benefitting both sides.
Reason this works: When users see other GMs happy to make a deal and asserting themselves, wanting to get that deal done as quickly as possible, they start believing this deal really doesn't benefit them. Example:
Wizards GM: "Bilal Coulibaly for Patty Mills and a couple of second round picks."
Heat GM: "Sure!"
Wizards GM: "Wait a minute, you're scamming me. I need multiple unprotected FRPs now!"
Heat GM; "Dang it!"
Here is an instance where you should just take the first offer and run with it, but don't act too excited.
Wizards GM: "Bilal Coulibaly for Patty Mills and a couple second round picks."
Heat GM: "Hmmm ... sure. I might be losing in this deal but I think it benefits both sides.
How to combat this dirty negotiating: When the other side asks for a better offer, know your limits and stand firm. Don't lower down to to their preferred asking price.
Let them come to you
Negotiating, as we all know, is about emotion. And the one that is desperate and chasing a deal is the one that will likely lose in the deal. So, holding off negotiations and pretending like you're not interested can force the opposition to raise their offer, especially when they're married to the possibility of gaining a player.
"Hey man, what for Tre Jones?"
"Not interested in trading him at the moment. Let's talk later."
A few hours later ...
"What for Tre Jones?"
"Eh, offer up. It's going to take a lot though."
"2 frps and Trayce Jackson Davis."
"Alright, I'll think about it."
The next day ...
"Hey, are we doing that Jones deal. "
"I really don't want to part with Jones though."
'Fine, I'll add Dario Saric."
"Deal, I guess. Pleasure doing business with you."
Here, the Warriors GM gets desperate in trying to find a point guard that he ends up trading multiple first round picks for Tre Jones, because he's chasing that player, and therefore lending his hand. This can be a variation of feigning disappointment, except this focuses on the power dynamics of negotiating.
How to combat this negotiating tactic: Never expect to land a player until a deal is done. Keep your options open, and don't chase after a player because it will lead to you losing the deal.
The Lowball/The High Asking Price
The most popular negotiating tactic on Fanspo, yet I still don't see it being used enough.
Bulls GM: "Hey, for some reason I still want to contend and refuse to rebuild my roster. What for RJ Barett?"
Raptors GM; "Hmmm ... two firsts and Alex Caruso.'
Bulls GM: "What, that's crazy. No way!"
Raptors GM: "Fine, Caruso and a top 5 protected first."
Bulls GM: "Deal!"
Now hopefully, if you have NBA knowledge, this deal wouldn't happen because you know better, but in less extreme cases famous traders such as Bron have used this tactic and killed with it. It's called the door in the face, an insanely high asking price so that what you really want seems much better for the opposition than it really is.
How to combat this: Know players' value. See through trades and don't get swindled into believing a player's value is as low or high as the opposition is valuing.
Gauge the entire league to see a player's value.
Too many times first time mock users jump at the first offer they see for a player rather than waiting to see an entire league's interest, and then choosing the best offer. This can create a bidding war as well:
"Hey, four firsts, Brandin Podziemski, THJ, Klay Thompson for Jimmy Butler."
"That's a pretty good offer. Let me see the rest of the pool."
"Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller, 4 firsts."
And it keeps going on until you have your best offer. This is an easy way to make your opposition desperate and bidding against other suitors, and leads to you maximizing the value of the player you have.