​If Karnisovas had presented a plan for a hard reset, pointing out the strength of the then-upcoming draft classes in 2025 and 2026, ownership would have listened, multiple team sources said. “Anybody that’s in that position, you’re managing up,” a different team source told ESPN. “You’re explaining to your owner, ‘This is why we need to do this, and this is what’s going to help us.'” Sources close to Karnisovas and Eversley said the executives were skeptical about tanking as a real strategy.ESPN