Everything you need to know about Cavs new forward Channing Frye: WFNY FAQs

With the Cleveland Cavaliers trading fan-favorite Anderson Varejao, who was the longest-tenured professional athlete in Cleveland, to Portland in a three-team deal, along with Jared Cunningham, they received forward Channing Frye from Orlando in exchange for the two.

While it is sad to see the Wild Thing go, Cavaliers fans must get to know the new acquisition. So who is this new Cavs forward? Lets dig in.

So who this guy? Where did he play in college? When did he get drafted?

Drafted by New York in the first round (eighth overall) in 2005, the forward graduated from the University of Arizona where he was one of the country’s top big-men while with the Wildcats. During his four years in Tucson, Frye played in 133 games (119 starts), including 12 career NCAA Tournament games. While at Arizona, he averaged 13.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor. Interestingly, known as a three-point shooter in the NBA, he took just 23 shots from beyond the arc in his four years at Arizona, making just six of them (26.1 percent).

Fun Fact: Frye is also the cousin of Tobias Harris, the up-and-coming swingman who was recently dealt from Orlando to Detroit.

Save me the math. How many years has he been in the NBA?

Two questions in and you’re already lazy? Frye is currently in his 10th season in the league. In those 10 seasons, the forward has played for New York (two seasons), Portland (two), Phoenix (four), and Orlando (two). Frye has averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game in 701 career games. In the last two seasons with the Magic, the big man has averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game since 2014. His best season in the NBA was in 2010-11, when he averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 block per game.

So he’s a guy who has averaged essentially nothing. What could he possibly bring to the Cavaliers?

With players who can dominate in one-on-one situations like forward LeBron James and guard Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers can never have too many three-point shooters and players who can spread the floor. That’s exactly what Frye can do. While he may not have been a long distance shooter in college, Frye has certainly turned into one since getting drafted in 2005. In his 10-year career, he has made 38.7 percent of his shots from three-point range, a substantial number that gets even more enticing when you figure that it’s coming from the hands of a 6-11 man.

In Cleveland, the sharp-shooting Frye will most likely receive a lot of open looks, especially from the outside in catch-and-shoot situations. When considered “wide open”, Frye has made 51.7 percent of his three-pointers in his career, while connecting on 40.3 percent from beyond the arc when he doesn’t take a dribble. At 6-foot-11, the 255-pounder will bring plenty of versatility to the Cavs. If head coach Tyronn Lue decides to go with pure shooters, Frye can be the five-man, but he can also be a player that can spread the floor when playing next to players like Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov.

Is he that much better than Anderson Varejao?

Varejao was a fan-favorite, that’s obvious, but for a Cavaliers team that is in “win now” mode, the acquisition brings much more offense to the bench mob than what the Brazilian did this late in his career. His career free throw rate is 82 percent, meaning he can be on the floor late in games if needed. For those worried about defense, Frye has blocked over one shot per 36 minutes throughout his entire career, pulling down 7.3 boards against that same metric.

Although it’s sad to see Varejao leave the Cavaliers and the team and city he has been with since entering the NBA in 2004, Frye will bring much more to this team than Varejao could.

Does he have any playoff experience?

Frye has played in the playoffs two different times: 2008-09 with Portland and 2009-10 with Phoenix. In 20 games (zero starts), he has averaged 7.2 points and 4.7 rebounds, while shooting 36.4 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from three-point land in 23.6 minutes per game.

But does he have any ties to Ohio or the Cavaliers?

Unfortunately, neither. While he and Richard Jefferson both played at Arizona, they missed each other by a single year. Jefferson left for the NBA after his junior season and Frye arrived on campus the following fall. He did spend time with former Cavs Lou Amundson and Earl Clark when in Phoenix. Does that count?

No. That said, is he a free agent after this season?

No. Due to the fact that he signed a four-year, $32 million deal with Orlando before the 2014-15 season, the 32-year old is owed $7.8 million in 2016-17 and $7.4 million in 2017-18, before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2018. Decent contract for a big man and a few years of control.

He’s not related to former Akron and Browns quarterback Charlie Frye, is he?

Browns fans will be sad to hear this, but no, Channing and Charlie have no relation.