T2 is so unstable that these teams need something at least to make some money back on their investment or at least stability to keep their great players for potential ascension runs, if they lose a great piece they should be compensated as long as there is an active contract
sure, but that hinges on the T1 teams paying these prices. Some players will surely be priced out. Lose Lose Lose for every party involved in that case.
Teams put higher buyouts on their players during the Challengers season to avoid having them poached mid-season by VCT teams. These teams are fighting for a spot in VCT so losing a player mid-season can affect performance for a lot of teams