Here's a classic case of where this suggestion would work and help. I have 2 dots on a team that I knew some time ago was going to be sold. In the current state of the game, I contacted the owned and friend of another team who was looking for some dots for next season and told him about this... and now we wait until the team is sold and the dot's become free agents. That happened today and I already had to send out a PM to another owner who had sent me a contract to explain to him my dots already had a home.
With this OP in place I could've informed my friend... then he could have sent me a LOI... which I would've accepted. The other teams looking for FA's would not see my players as they would've already signed a LOI, removing them from the pool and keeping it simple.
As for Tim's fear about agents that wouldn't do this and teams hating... I doubt it much because that already exists with the current system. In fact, if the LOI removes dots from the FA pool, it really makes it much simpler for those recruiting. #1, instead of having to send out 10 or more contract offers per open position, some of those positions would be filled early with LOI's and make less work in the off season. #2, many of the teams I've played for or recruited for started looking for dots around mid-season as they became aware of dots leaving for various reasons (retirement for flex, wanting to start instead of coming off bench, promises to other friends that own teams, ect, ect, ect,) and being able to get a head start on filling those positions is almost always a good thing.
+1
With this OP in place I could've informed my friend... then he could have sent me a LOI... which I would've accepted. The other teams looking for FA's would not see my players as they would've already signed a LOI, removing them from the pool and keeping it simple.
As for Tim's fear about agents that wouldn't do this and teams hating... I doubt it much because that already exists with the current system. In fact, if the LOI removes dots from the FA pool, it really makes it much simpler for those recruiting. #1, instead of having to send out 10 or more contract offers per open position, some of those positions would be filled early with LOI's and make less work in the off season. #2, many of the teams I've played for or recruited for started looking for dots around mid-season as they became aware of dots leaving for various reasons (retirement for flex, wanting to start instead of coming off bench, promises to other friends that own teams, ect, ect, ect,) and being able to get a head start on filling those positions is almost always a good thing.
+1
