Under that scenario, Barzini's worst outcome is that Vito agrees and Barzini makes money. More likely, though, is that old-fashioned Vito says no, leaving the forceful Sollozzo a choice between going home and trying to eliminate Vito as an obstacle - and that's really no choice at all.
But Vito wasn't an obstacle. He was merely an asset for Sollozzo's use if Vito agreed to be such.
I don't know about that.
Saying Vito wasn't an obstacle presumes that Vito would have stood idly by while the drug trade proceeded without his involvement and his political influences would have as well.
Is it really likely that Vito would watched from the sideline as his rivals got rich from drugs? No.
Surely Vito would have used his political connections - immediately or later on - to attempt to stamp out the drug trade, get Sollozzo and his couriers deported, etc.
So Vito had to be brought on board or neutralized.
