Obligatory GM picks

[Memento Mori]

I agree that the system isn't perfect, but I think the concerns people have raised about alternatives are reasonable. A few things that haven't been brought up, though.

When you trade up or down in the draft, it's not only the two teams trading that are affected. If I pick 3rd and you pick 2nd, if I trade up to 1st to take the guy you wanted then my trade affects you too. The transaction is more than just the buying team trading up for a pick that the selling team wanted to trade out of, because the buying team is also trading ahead of the other teams.

If GMs know that the other team is actively trying to move back as far as reasonably possible, that affects the trade value of the pick. GMs aren't somehow swindling other GMs for hauls when they trade back in the 2nd, because they know that they want to trade back. I don't think the teams trading up in the 2nd are getting particularly screwed over in the current system.

Second, the meta can just adapt around this awareness. It already happens to some extent, but when you know a team picking at the top of the second wants to move back, the other GMs can outright refuse to stop them gaining additional value. Which then opens up the possibility of another team moving up for very cheap, etc.

Have plenty more I thought about saying but it'll get too ramble-y. I see your point, but I think our imperfect system might still be better than the alternatives.