Howie played Eliot like a fiddle. He knew that nobody - not even Eliot The **** - was giving him a 2027 1st or even 2nd for AJB. So he set his sights on Plan B: A 2028 1st. Even then, there were very, very few teams willing to consider giving him even that, especially when there's a vig of a '27 middle-of-Day-3 pick to include... If it weren't for Eliot The **** and Mister Loyalty/Infidelity being so blatantly obvious in their man-love for AJB and so reeking of desperation, Howie would've had to settle for a 2028 2nd-rounder and likely Nothing else, aka AJB's true value.