So this might very well be overthinking and copium, but in trying to look at it from a "why would the PR team do this" perspective, I wonder if he might have been a last second addition to the rebrand marketing. Like they weren't originally intending to use him for whatever reason (scheduling, logistics, letting him reset after that painful season, who knows) but once the rumors started getting crazy again the team went "know what, get him back here so we can put him in this shoot and calm some things down." But if he wasn't originally part of it, the videos and graphics may have largely been finished and they could only squeeze him into so much.
Because otherwise yeah, the idea that they'd be editing him out because of a planned trade is honestly the weirdest possible situation. Like you say, Verbeek's not doing it personally. Not likely he's looking at the rebrand media and going "get him out of there, I'm gonna trade him!" either. I mean, Drysdale was one of the most heavily marketed players on the team, even while injured, until poof he was gone. The idea that the PR people would get an early heads-up to remove him just doesn't make sense.
And honestly, especially because of the precedent of the Drysdale trade, I'm not sure they would have willingly put themselves in that situation to begin with. It's hard to imagine the media people just saying "ah yes, this guy has a whole entire trade rumor media circus surrounding him, let's put him in the reveal video for our years in the making rebrand without asking any questions! I'm sure it'll be fine." Limiting how much they use him in the marketing isn't even hedging their bets, because putting him there at all is the bet. If you really want to be cautious, you don't use him and if anyone asks you point out McTavish isn't in it either. So it feels like something else.
A last-second "jfc he's not going anywhere okay?!" addition would fit what we're seeing. But... not the only option, so again, maybe just overly wishful thinking on my part.
