Orlando Magic: Cashing In On Channing Frye An Option?
By Luke Duffy
As of Monday, teams that acquired players during the summer are now able to trade them if they choose to do so. What does this mean for a team like the Orlando Magic? In truth very little, mostly because only three players qualify and this is a team having a better season than most predicted.
Of those players two of them, Luke Ridnour and Ben Gordon, have little trade value as it is. Gordon has been better than advertised this year, but it’s unlikely a team is giving up much of anything for him, even if he is making 51 percent of his two point attempts.
The third player, and the best of the lot, Channing Frye, is an interesting one, however. He’s worth taking a look at here.
Has Channing Frye been the player he was with the Phoenix Suns last year? Yes and no, and it’s mostly because Orlando play differently to their Western Conference counterparts and Frye is used in similar, yet different, ways.
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His floor spacing and three point shooting make him a nice fit in any team looking to stretch the floor, he’s one of the best shooting big men in the league. In fact, he is shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc for the season to date.
Add that to his 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds, and in truth he’s been quietly efficient and not much more on the court so far for this team.
As a result, trading him now makes little sense for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he’s known around the league as a great locker room presence, and that’s so valuable on a young and upcoming team. His numbers on the court might not be huge, but you can bet off the floor he’s a real glue guy in that locker room.
Secondly, and returning to his stats, his value is probably as low as it’s been since his return to the league after health concerns, simply because he’s had a quiet season so far. That can change pretty quickly though of course. Lastly, and probably least importantly, Frye is Tobias Harris‘s cousin.
Harris is a restricted free agent next summer, and although he can ultimately do nothing about it if Orlando match any offers from him, it would be wise to treat his extended family right.
So all of the above are valid reasons why not to explore any potential trade options. Coming at it from a different point of view though, one which doesn’t take Magic fans into consideration, this guy just needs to be on a contending team.
He’s getting no younger, and his game is crying out to be utilized by a team where he could be a real game changer and a different option once the postseason rolls around. Somebody like a Houston Rockets or even a Washington Wizards could have a major use for him.
As one of the good guys in this league, it would be nice to see him get a chance to play in more meaningful games in the next couple of years.
Back to reality though, and there are also some things to consider when trying to validate potentially trading him. His four-year, $32 million contract depreciates after each season, making it appealing to just about everybody.
General manager Rob Hennigan has handed out some well constructed contracts in his time with the team, and Frye is no different. It makes him appealing to teams who have to be more mindful of how they spend their money.
Teams will part with talent to get a proven three point shooter who can space the floor and is cost effective, make no mistake about that.
So far, it hasn’t really worked out for him in Orlando, but we’re only working off a small sample size. Harris, Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic are more important to what this team do, meaning Frye doesn’t get as much of a look in. He still takes to the court and does his job well, it just hasn’t quite translated to the stat sheet.
If he was traded tomorrow for considerable returns, I for one wouldn’t be too sad to hear that. On the other hand though, I’m also quite happy that he is a Magic player. He was great last season, and he’s still only settling in with the Magic.
But yet, for me anyway there is a niggling what if in the back of my minds with regards to what could be gotten in return. Surely putting the feelers out there to see if there is interest and what could be gotten back is an idea?
At some point Orlando needs to hit the button on accelerating a rebuild that is currently moving along at a nice pace, but that will need more talent to make this team a playoff staple once again.
If giving Frye up is what’s required to bring another talented piece in, then so be it. Frye has the talent himself, it’s just we’ve seen it in fits and starts. If there are teams out there serious about acquiring him, I’d be all ears to see what could be gotten in return.
Maybe that’s not a nice way to talk about a player who is giving his all for the team and hasn’t done anything wrong, but professional sport is a business after all.