I'm pretty sure they want to keep the team in tact. They put all their ducks in a row toward that end. I doubt they did it just to pull off a trade, but I guess it could happen. However, continuity is a big deal to them.
Right - in the end, there's a 90% chance it doesn't matter. But a little extra cash going into a one year deal provides for flexibility. Let's just hope it's Ayers on his way out instead.