This has been touched upon somewhat in other threads but not really discussed independently. What we know:
-Vlade himself said he brought several deals to Vivek for approval.
-Vivek coveted Buddy, both during the draft, as well as subsequent conversations (per Buddy).
-Additionally, Vlade himself said that they were not interested in other deals, implying this WAS the deal they wanted, which would explain the need to make the deal during that weekend instead of holding out.
-Cousins just revealed Vivek texted him about potential trade deals and wanted feedback on specific player(s).
We know he was offered two first rounders, but before he could get approval to trade Cousins, his agent told NOLA he wouldn't re-sign, so NOLA yanked that offer which was why Vlade only had the conditional pick. He saw the deal's value declining, as he stated, so they made the deal. This was the "better offer" he mentioned, and also explains his negative comments about agents working against him.
Now, regardless of it was indeed the best deal isn't the issue here, nor is moving Cousins. The issue is that, at every step, Vivek was involved. He involved himself in the draft, he involved himself by only agreeing to the deal that included Buddy (second time around, as Vlade didn't get his approval fast enough, contradicting his claim that he has authority to make all decisions), he involved himself by directly contacting their franchise player about potential deals, etc. Despite his publicly low profile recently, all indications are that he's still very much a part of front office decisions, and that has me very concerned for the future of this team.
This issue is arguably more relevant than ever if this team does indeed keep their two picks in this draft, which is one of the strongest in years. If they disregard the expertise of their scouts and real GM, and Vivek is calling the shots, that is something that can seriously hamper this team's growth.
-Vlade himself said he brought several deals to Vivek for approval.
-Vivek coveted Buddy, both during the draft, as well as subsequent conversations (per Buddy).
-Additionally, Vlade himself said that they were not interested in other deals, implying this WAS the deal they wanted, which would explain the need to make the deal during that weekend instead of holding out.
-Cousins just revealed Vivek texted him about potential trade deals and wanted feedback on specific player(s).
We know he was offered two first rounders, but before he could get approval to trade Cousins, his agent told NOLA he wouldn't re-sign, so NOLA yanked that offer which was why Vlade only had the conditional pick. He saw the deal's value declining, as he stated, so they made the deal. This was the "better offer" he mentioned, and also explains his negative comments about agents working against him.
Now, regardless of it was indeed the best deal isn't the issue here, nor is moving Cousins. The issue is that, at every step, Vivek was involved. He involved himself in the draft, he involved himself by only agreeing to the deal that included Buddy (second time around, as Vlade didn't get his approval fast enough, contradicting his claim that he has authority to make all decisions), he involved himself by directly contacting their franchise player about potential deals, etc. Despite his publicly low profile recently, all indications are that he's still very much a part of front office decisions, and that has me very concerned for the future of this team.
This issue is arguably more relevant than ever if this team does indeed keep their two picks in this draft, which is one of the strongest in years. If they disregard the expertise of their scouts and real GM, and Vivek is calling the shots, that is something that can seriously hamper this team's growth.