The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a three-team trade, between the Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic, that will bring Channing Frye to the Cavaliers. This move will create space for the slashing guards that Cleveland already has.
It may not seem like the greatest trade in the world, with Frye only averaging 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, but Frye’s impact goes beyond the numbers.
Frye will move into the backup power forward and center role and will keep the floor spacing that Kevin Love gives the Cavs, but for the second unit. Not only will Frye benefit from leaving a team like the Magic and joining a championship contender in Cleveland, J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving should see a small boost in their game as well.
Over his career, Frye has averaged close to ten points per game and is known to be a quality outside shooting big man. He is shooting almost 40 percent from behind the three point line this year and for a big man, that is really good.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
He is only playing 17.1 minutes per game this season, but moving to the Cavaliers, he will surely see a rise in minutes.
The Cavaliers have needed big man help this year and that is what they will get from this trade. Another bonus for the Cavaliers is the players they gave up — Anderson Varejao and Jared Cunningham, both players that haven’t made any impact for the Cavaliers this season. Varejao has only played in 31 games so far and was only averaging 2.6 points per game. Cunningham has had just about the same impact, actually averaging the same about of points per game as Varejao.
The downside of this trade would be giving up a conditional first-round pick to the Blazers, but the Cavaliers are more of a team that is trying to win championships now, compared to preparing for the future. Giving up that pick won’t damage the Cavaliers as much as if they were a rebuilding franchise.
LeBron James has been known to have an appreciation for Varejao, even calling him, “his favorite teammate,” but LeBron is a winner and he realizes that this move is a smart one. At the end of the day, the NBA is a business and if you can improve your team you will do anything it takes, even if that means hurting some feelings along the way.
Related Story: 2016 NBA Trade Deadline Live Tracker
This trade also makes it easier for the Cavaliers big men. They have been doing a lot of playing with a lack of big men on the bench. Now, they can bring Frye off the bench and give much needed rest to Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov.
Frye doesn’t necessarily make Cleveland the favorite to win it all, but he makes their chances much better. It will be interesting to see how many minutes he will play in the upcoming games.