PORT ADELAIDE will meet with Hawthorn today to work through a potential deal to send Chad Wingard to Waverley Park.
Wingard last week informed the Power he wanted to explore a move away from Alberton.
A restricted free agent at the end of the 2019 season, the 25-year-old will remain with Port Adelaide unless an acceptable trade can be struck.
Among the potential trades offered by Hawthorn is understood to be pick 15 and defender Ryan Burton.
"Chad's requested to be traded and we need to work through whether Ryan is part of that deal," Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps said during a panel discussion broadcast on NAB AFL Trade Radio.
"We're happy to explore it, it's a changing landscape with where free agency is, we're quite mature about it and we think the industry is slowly maturing.
"We've taken players from other clubs, Paddy Ryder and Charlie Dixon etc. over the journey, so our philosophy is that it creates opportunity, but the deal needs to be right."
Port Adelaide has sent staff to conduct a medical with Burton during his holiday in the US and Cripps joked that his club would send the travel bill to Hawthorn.
Cripps said talks with the Hawks about Wingard would continue on Monday, and given the midfield-forward’s free agency status at the end of next season, they would be open and honest.
"We have enough information to think he was going to explore opportunities then," Cripps said.
"You've then got to weigh up what that compensation may look like in 12 months' time opposed to what you may get now.
"We'll work through it and meet with (Hawthorn General Manager – Football Operations) Graham Wright today and we'll see what happens.
"You need the deal to be worthwhile for what you're trying to achieve."
The Power currently holds picks 6 and 10, giving it a strong hand in a draft full of talent including potential top draft picks Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine.
Gold Coast appears in the box seat to secure the South Australians with picks 2 and 3 but Cripps said if the Power missed out at November’s draft, he backed his club to
"If Lukosius and Rankine end up going to Gold Coast, we're probably pretty happy to try to get them back in a few years' time," Cripps said.
"It's interesting, because then it just becomes a two-horse race between us and the Crows, as opposed to a Victorian kid that wants to come back home, who has potentially got 10 options.
"That's part of the discussion and strategy, but right at the minute, we're really comfortable with pick six."
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