It's not so simple. What starter quality C is going to sign knowing Rodney Hudson might stay? Why would Rodney come back knowing you signed someone else and might trade him?
This is one thing that makes me doubt the retirement talk. It's been a month since camp. If Hudson was really contemplating retirement any GM would say "OK, I need to know in the next 2 weeks because if I need a replacement the market is thin and getting thinner".
That's something nobody would take issue with, that's more than enough time to make a decision.
It's why I don't believe the "They knew before the draft" bit. If there was any inkling of this pre draft any GM would say, "Ok, well we need to know before the draft".
The scenario I'm being told to believe is that the FO knew about this since early April and just said "Take all the time you need Rodney. No rush. We won't even bring in any other centers. We'll just go into camp with Harlow and nobody else. Maybe we'll try Pugh there. But don't you rush now. There's loads of centers available if we need one"