The Western Bulldogs' decision to pay close to a million dollars of Ryan Griffen's contract to play with the Giants for the next four years, as well as offering up their first round draft pick were critical in the GWS backflip in agreeing to trade Tom Boyd.

The Bulldogs had initially insisted on only a straight swap of their captain for Boyd but the decision to significantly increase the trade offer by adding their first draft pick - No.6 - and contribute a major part of Griffen's contract was a game changer for the Giants who were also under AFL pressure to bring in seasoned players to quickly become more competitive.

Sources said the Giants were not finished trading and were positioning for further activity on the last day of trades, ahead of Thursday's 2pm deadline.

Boyd, who has played nine AFL games after being taken at No.1 in last year's national draft, has been offered a seven-year deal by the Bulldogs worth more than $6 million. In reality it is a six-year deal worth $1 million a year, which starts from 2016, as players in their first two seasons are on AFL-mandated contracts with standard payments based on number of games and where they are picked in the draft.