In Reply to: Re: I don't see how that could be true posted by Bruins#1 on April 21, 2025 at 18:04:12
It's not hard to imagine if they'd already signed the contract. What choice did they have but to pay Aguilar if he stayed? What I think happened is that once Nico became a possibility, UCLA was able to tap more money from donors.
They also probably had a good inkling that Aguilar would leave. I wouldn't doubt that the money Aguilar freed up has now gone to Nico and/or his little brother.
Why would they pay Nico more when they already signed him? I don't know, but they may have already told him that if Aguilar leaves, you will get some of that money. It is generally thought that UCLA had allocated about $1 million for Aguilar alone. UCLA may have wanted to up Nico's take just to keep him happy and/or (using hindsight) possibly lure the little brother. UCLA is definitely paying for the little brother, too.
However UCLA played it, it worked.