In exchange for trading their Restricted Free Agents (RFAs), what do teams receive?

When a team trades their Restricted Free Agents (RFAs), they receive draft choice compensation. This mechanism is in place as a means to ensure that teams can gain value from players they choose to let go, while also allowing them to retain some control over the RFAs through the tender offered.

Restricted Free Agents are players who have not yet accumulated the required years to become unrestricted free agents but have been offered a qualifying offer from their original team. If a rival team wants to sign an RFA, they must offer a contract, and the original team has the right to match that offer or receive draft picks as compensation if they choose not to match. The draft choice compensation is determined based on the level of tender that the original team placed on the player, and it serves as an incentive for teams to develop their players while providing a safety net should they lose them.

This system promotes competitive balance within the league, allowing teams to recoup some value for their investments in player development without simply losing their RFAs for nothing.