I mean it's so simple and all of the dumbass real life GM's just can't figure it out.
Step 1: Trade your first 2 draft picks for a stud who's already in his prime.
Step 2: Trade your third draft pick and somebody who is halfway decent for somebody else who plays the same position and is pretty good. Do this with the rest of your draft picks to make minor upgrades at positions of need.
Step 3: Sit out the loser draft. You are just going to use those other teams as glorified farm systems.
Step 4: Fire every non-starter who you are paying more than $2 million.
Step 5: Use all of the money you save from not having to pay loser rookies in the draft and your loser bench players to go out and sign every single marquee free agent available.
You won't have any young talent to develop, but you won't need any. You get a ton of draft picks every year, so you can just rinse and repeat those 5 steps and you will always be the best team in the league, by far.