Mitch Kupchak Answers Questions About Miami Trade
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00:00 Mike, I'll leave it to you to start.
00:02 Yeah, thank you, Mike.
00:04 Yes, today, we made a trade.
00:08 Terry Rose here for Kyle Lowry.
00:11 And also the 27 first round pick protected.
00:18 And if it doesn't convey in 27 it becomes unprotected in 28.
00:23 Before I open it up to questions, I just feel.
00:27 I have to thank Terry.
00:29 You know, he, he came to Charlotte four and a half years ago.
00:33 And we spoke this morning.
00:36 But he made a great
00:42 impact on this organization, you know, on the court.
00:46 And off the court.
00:48 This morning, in my call with him he.
00:52 He spoke with us for bringing them to Charlotte. And, you know, he.
00:59 He indicated that he grew up, you know, on the court and off the court.
01:05 He feels he became more professional and a better.
01:07 Person.
01:11 I think we all know how involved he was in the community.
01:14 And of course, you know, on the court in particular this year.
01:18 You know, he had, he's had his best year ever. So.
01:21 You know,
01:22 We brought him here on a sign in trade.
01:26 When Kemba Walker went to Boston.
01:29 And there was a lot of unknown.
01:33 Yeah, we felt good about it.
01:35 But you never know.
01:36 And it turned out to be.
01:39 A good deal for us.
01:41 And certainly as Terry indicated.
01:44 Something that was very, very good for him. So.
01:47 Thank you, Terry.
01:48 Good luck.
01:50 Thank you.
01:51 Thank you.
01:52 Thank you.
01:53 And with that, I'll open it up to questions.
02:00 If anyone wants to use the raise hand button.
02:02 Function. We can ask a question.
02:16 I'm going to go ahead and unmute myself.
02:25 Mike, you're on mute.
02:26 Oh, sorry.
02:30 We'll start with rod.
02:36 Hey, Mitch, just.
02:38 You mentioned earlier.
02:42 About Terry in the first round draft, but just wondering.
02:45 What's your take on the draft pick?
02:47 And potentially with Kyle Lowry.
02:49 And the draft pick.
02:50 How does that help the franchise?
02:53 Moving forward.
02:54 Do you think beyond the season?
02:59 When you say the cap space, you mean cap space this summer?
03:01 I assume that's what you mean, right?
03:02 Correct. Correct.
03:03 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
03:04 Yeah. Terry had.
03:06 A couple of years remaining on his contract.
03:10 And Kyle Lowry is an expiring contract. So.
03:13 You know,
03:15 Flexible.
03:17 You know, financially.
03:22 It will help us this summer. And of course it'll help us.
03:25 You know, in the next couple of weeks.
03:26 To plan for this summer and beyond.
03:28 Just to know what our numbers are going to look like.
03:29 And the pick itself.
03:33 You know, has incredible potential for upside.
03:36 So.
03:40 You know, we don't know who that player may be, you know,
03:42 but we know that.
03:43 That's a potential.
03:44 That's a potential.
03:45 That could also become.
03:46 You know, something.
03:48 That you can put into a trade.
03:50 And, and make a deal.
03:51 So.
03:54 Yes. The financial part of it.
03:56 You know, was a part of it.
03:59 But getting, you know, the pick.
04:01 Was probably the most important part.
04:05 So.
04:10 Are you active still the next two weeks here to figure out if you can
04:13 move.
04:14 Any more players for potential.
04:15 Assets or to bring players back.
04:17 Yeah. Yeah, we will be.
04:18 This, this is early.
04:20 Right. I mean, I'm sure.
04:21 Everybody.
04:23 Or most people on this call.
04:28 You know,
04:29 weren't expecting something this far out from the trade deadline.
04:31 So this is a little early.
04:32 And one of the benefits of having done something early.
04:34 Is that we can look at.
04:35 The potential.
04:36 And, you know, we can look at.
04:38 Opportunities.
04:40 No one, what we've just done. Right. So, yeah.
04:42 The trade deadline is still.
04:47 You know, a week or so away and we will continue to be active.
04:50 Skylar.
04:54 Hey, Mitch, obviously with Kyle's age.
04:59 And being on a team that has won 10 games at this point,
05:02 Is that something that you guys would want to buy out or see if you
05:05 guys would want to find another trade for him?
05:07 Or is that something that's off the table?
05:09 Well, I spoke to Kyle this morning and I know him a little bit.
05:12 So.
05:14 You know, we chatted.
05:16 And most of it was pleasantries.
05:18 Right. We went through the teams.
05:20 You know, that he had been on.
05:21 And I think.
05:22 This might be his fifth.
05:24 No NBA team. So it's nothing new to him.
05:27 He's been around the block.
05:30 And so, you know,
05:32 I think it's a good thing that we've been able to get him on the team.
05:35 And I think that was not discussed.
05:37 You know, what may be down the road or what may come down the road.
05:40 You know, we just did the deal.
05:41 You know, a couple of hours ago.
05:42 So we'll be in touch with his representative.
05:44 We'll go from there.
05:45 And then also to.
05:54 Obviously when you make a move like this,
05:55 it sends kind of a signal to a lot of fans that I've rebuilt,
05:58 maybe coming.
05:59 You know,
06:00 I'm not going to mention all the players, but I'll mention.
06:02 You know,
06:03 We think we've got.
06:04 You know, a foundation.
06:05 Of.
06:06 Of players in place.
06:08 Of course.
06:15 You know, I'm not going to mention all the players,
06:17 but I'll mention our two highest picks, right. It just makes sense.
06:19 No Lamela ball and Brandon Miller.
06:21 So.
06:22 But there are other players that.
06:24 That we've pegged as players.
06:26 That would be very difficult.
06:27 To.
06:29 To trade.
06:33 And like I said, I don't want to mention all the names, but.
06:36 We do feel that.
06:39 And then we've got some veteran players, right.
06:41 Still under contract.
06:42 You know, that are still, I wouldn't.
06:44 Yeah.
06:45 We drafted them for four years ago, but.
06:47 But they're not even 25 yet. Right. So.
06:49 So we do have.
06:51 I think a good group.
06:54 Of players that we've had.
06:58 You know, we've had a lot of bad football, right.
07:00 The injury scenario this year.
07:02 We weren't able to.
07:03 You know,
07:05 Really see what kind of team we had or.
07:08 Or reach whatever potential we thought we had.
07:13 And we had hoped that we would contend for one of those lower level
07:16 playoff spots, right. That was our hope.
07:18 You know, never got a chance to put together a run.
07:20 And that's.
07:21 That's not to say that.
07:22 We're not going to be able to do that.
07:24 Because we do.
07:28 So.
07:30 I wouldn't call it a rebuild. Okay.
07:33 A rebuild is in my opinion.
07:35 You know, something where you start from scratch.
07:37 And, you know, you.
07:42 You know, convert everything you have into draft capital.
07:45 And you create, you know, gobs of.
07:48 You know, you know, you can get picks.
07:53 You know, it could drag out, you know, years.
07:55 That's not the case.
07:58 I think it's more of a case of.
08:02 You know, recognizing where we are this year.
08:04 Right.
08:05 And I worked for an owner once.
08:08 You know, who, who said that.
08:11 You know, as the year goes by.
08:15 You know, it's not like a player ages one year.
08:17 It's like a team ages.
08:19 You know,
08:20 12 Years.
08:21 A year for each player.
08:23 And the point I'm trying to make is.
08:27 You know, going forward, just looking at our timeline.
08:30 You know, we had to be realistic.
08:32 We have to be realistic.
08:34 As to, you know, the kind of year.
08:37 That Terry was having.
08:40 And it's hard.
08:41 You know, it's hard to.
08:43 You know, make a deal like this.
08:49 You know, when a guy has played as hard as he has on the court.
08:52 You know, rarely does he miss a game.
08:54 The kid, every time he goes in for a layup, he gets.
08:58 Throw it to the ground and he does a side flip or whatever.
09:03 And gets up and runs back down the court.
09:05 It's hard to, you know,
09:07 Say goodbye to a player like that.
09:09 But these are hard decisions you make in professional sports.
09:12 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:14 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:16 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:18 And I think we all have to be realistic.
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09:29 And I think we all have to be realistic.
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09:32 And I think we all have to be realistic.
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09:34 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:35 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:36 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:37 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:38 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:39 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:40 And I think we all have to be realistic.
09:41 And I think we all have to be realistic.
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09:44 And I think we all have to be realistic.
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10:31 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
10:32 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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11:44 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
11:45 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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11:48 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
12:12 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
12:18 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
12:19 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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12:21 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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13:01 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:05 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:06 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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13:09 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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13:13 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
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13:15 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:16 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:17 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:18 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:19 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:20 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:21 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:22 >> I think we all have to be realistic.
13:46 >> And a quick follow-up.
13:47 >> And a quick follow-up.
13:48 >> In terms of Kyle, I know you kind of answered a little bit to him before, but I know you
13:52 don't want to necessarily give up your total leverage with the deadline being on the 8th,
13:55 but do you guys kind of have a mutual understanding in terms of his immediate future and I guess
13:59 his longer-term future beyond the rest of this season?
14:07 >> I'm not sure I understand.
14:08 Immediate future?
14:09 I mean, immediate future?
14:10 >> Do you feel like he's on this team February 9th, I guess is my more direct question.
14:15 >> Oh, I don't know.
14:17 Yeah, no, I don't know.
14:20 Certainly, like I said, I mean, everybody, you know, Kyle's, you know, quote, unquote,
14:26 doesn't fit the timeline of what we're trying to accomplish.
14:31 Now, if he's on the team, he brings veteran leadership and he'd be good from the locker
14:37 room.
14:38 So that's not to say that just because he doesn't fit the timeline, he won't be on the
14:43 scene.
14:44 There are things he does bring to the table, but, you know, realistically, right, it's
14:49 a big expiring contract and we have another week to 10 days, whatever, to go through the
14:54 trade deadline.
14:55 We have to look at the opportunities and there is going to be a possibility that maybe something
15:00 comes up that we have to look at.
15:01 So I can't discount that.
15:05 >> Thank you.
15:06 Richie, go ahead.
15:08 >> Hey, Mitch.
15:09 When you look at some of the reasons why you made this trade, you talk about the contract,
15:15 the pick being, but how much weight and consideration was given to his on court pairing with Lamello?
15:22 And even though they've been productive, it necessarily hasn't resulted in wins.
15:27 >> Yeah, I wouldn't say there's been a lot of discussion.
15:34 You know, they seem to me to have played pretty well together.
15:37 Right?
15:38 They've both had great success.
15:42 And from a productivity point of view, they've both put up career numbers every year.
15:49 So I'm not -- that wasn't really a big part of this.
15:55 And sometimes, even if it were, sometimes there's not much you can do about it, right?
16:00 But that was not a focus, no.
16:05 >> James Plowright.
16:07 >> Hi, Mitch.
16:09 This deal obviously creates some cap flexibility in the summer.
16:14 There would also be opportunities maybe also to take on salaries for draft picks, which
16:18 would maybe eat into that sum of flexibility in the summer.
16:22 Is that something that you think could happen?
16:24 Or is that cap flexibility created a real priority for the franchise?
16:29 >> Yeah, that can absolutely happen.
16:34 >> Thank you.
16:36 >> Hunter.
16:37 >> Mitch, the new CBA changed the buyout rules.
16:45 Teams in the second apron cannot sign players on the buyout market.
16:49 How has that changed your approach to the buyout market this season?
16:52 >> Yeah, I don't want to get technical.
16:56 They can.
16:59 But not if they're making, you know, more than the league average when they're waived.
17:03 Right?
17:04 So that's a little technical.
17:07 But your point is well taken, that not everybody that gets waived will be eligible for a buyout.
17:15 Or go to a team.
17:17 Everybody can get a buyout.
17:18 But the number of teams that would be limited, would be limited that that player can go to.
17:25 You know, if you're, as you mentioned, you know, once again, you know, with the first
17:30 and second apron, right?
17:32 So you know, not so much a consideration for us.
17:39 I think, you know, representatives that have players that they're veterans, they're waived
17:45 and they make more than the league average, I think it may limit their options.
17:51 But overall, it's going to be good for the buyout market.
17:55 So I don't think there'll be a lot of pressure or as much pressure as years past on teams
18:02 to agree to buyouts.
18:05 Because the options are going to be limited that these players can go to.
18:08 So you know, that's way above my pre-grade, what they do in New York.
18:14 They give us the rules and we deal with it.
18:16 But it's a good point.
18:20 Thank you, Breed.
18:21 Mitch, thanks for doing this, of course.
18:26 You know, I know you talked about the rebuild.
18:28 You don't like to call it that at all.
18:30 Would it make sense, though, to consider moving some of the veteran players, Gordon, Miles,
18:40 that are about to become free agents?
18:41 And how many guys would you consider that are just untradeable on your roster at this
18:46 point?
18:47 Well, when your record's like our record, you know, nobody is untradeable.
18:53 OK, that's a blanket statement.
18:56 Not meant to indicate anything about any one of our players.
19:01 Clearly, you know, we've talked about players that I can't see a scenario that we wouldn't
19:08 move.
19:10 And beyond the players I mentioned, I think there are another three or four players, maybe
19:14 even more than that, that we like, right?
19:21 So I can't discount the fact that we're a team that's trying to build, that can sustain
19:32 something going forward, and that we won't look for opportunity.
19:38 And we will do that.
19:41 And we value our players.
19:43 Every player a little different than the player next to them.
19:48 And that's something that we can keep in internal, and we'll look for opportunities.
19:52 And if there's something out there, we'll look to do it.
19:56 It's as simple as that.
20:00 Scott Fowler.
20:04 Thank you.
20:05 Mitch, again, sorry for these suitcase questions, but a double question here.
20:10 And one is, I know you don't want to call it a rebuild.
20:14 So I wonder if you had one word that you might call it instead, if there was a word that
20:22 comes to mind.
20:23 And secondly, I wonder, you had some good memories there of Rozier and just his sheer
20:29 toughness, which I think all of us would agree on how tough he is.
20:33 And I wonder if you had one particular memory of Terry in a game or whatever, in these four
20:40 and a half years where you were like, oh, my gosh, that's amazing, you know, on memory.
20:47 Yeah.
20:48 Well, I think, you know, I don't have anything in front of me, right?
20:53 I think there was a game in Cleveland, you know, several years ago, it was where he's
20:58 from.
20:59 And he just had a ridiculous game.
21:01 It might be even three years ago.
21:03 I don't remember.
21:05 In terms of the one word, you know, I don't have one word.
21:10 Okay.
21:11 Like I said, a rebuild is when you, you know, you start with a bunch of veterans and a team
21:18 that's not going anywhere and you just decide to scrap it all and start from scratch.
21:24 Okay.
21:25 Clearly, you know, we're down the road from that.
21:28 So I don't know what the word would be, but I would not use the word rebuild.
21:32 And I think you would agree.
21:33 We're further on down the road than that.
21:36 What the word is, I don't know.
21:39 Thanks Mitch.
21:40 We'll wrap it up with Skyler here.
21:43 Yeah, Mitch, to go back on Kyle for a second.
21:46 So could we expect Kyle to play in a game sometime this week?
21:50 Or is that going to be kind of just something you guys wait to see when you guys talk again?
21:57 You know, he's got to report he's got to pass a physical, it's going to take a couple of
22:03 weeks.
22:04 Yeah, I can't say that that that's something that we would, you know, look to accomplish
22:10 right away.
22:11 It may be that we wait to see what happens out of respect, right?
22:16 You know, to him and what he's accomplished in this league.
22:19 Maybe we wait to see and have the trade deadline pass.
22:23 And you know, rather than have him relocate and, you know, start something that that may
22:28 or may not take place.
22:29 Right.
22:30 So that's probably what we'll do.
22:31 But don't know for sure.
22:34 But that seems to make the most sense.
22:38 Great, thanks, Mitch.
22:41 Thanks everyone.
22:42 Appreciate your time.
22:43 And jumping on this evening for this.
22:46 So I will.
22:47 Thanks again, Mitch.
22:48 And we'll see you all down the road shortly.
22:50 Thanks everyone.