Fansided

Magic’s Channing Frye is available for trade for ‘very little’

By Tom West

Feb 22, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach James Borrego talks with forward Channing Frye (8) against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach James Borrego talks with forward Channing Frye (8) against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

There isn’t much NBA trade talk right now, but Channing Frye of the Orlando Magic is reportedly on the trading block and available for very little.

Channing Frye may not have a lot to offer the Orlando Magic, but his 39.3 percent three point shooting from last season makes him a perfect stretch big man to spot-up and shoot from distance. It compliments the interior play of Aaron Gordon and the post play of Nikola Vucevic, but supposedly that hasn’t stopped the Magic from making him available for trade.

According to Zach Lowe of Grantland, Frye is available for trade now “for very little”, which makes him a potential target for the Cleveland Cavaliers if they aren’t able to resolve their contract battle with Tristan Thompson:

"The Cavs are not totally without options if Thompson holds out for months. The corpse of Brendan Haywood left behind a $10.5 million trade exception, and the Cavs can trade a future first-rounder that would almost certainly become a 2018 pick. That’s enough to start talks for someone like Davis once he becomes trade-eligible on December 15, or even Markieff Morris if he pipes up again. Sources around the league say Channing Frye is available now for very little, though Magic officials deny it. Other names will hit the market, but while the salary of someone like Kenneth Faried doesn’t quite fit the exception, how much would Denver really demand to dump J.J. Hickson into it?"

Even though he may not be the rebounder and ‘max worthy’ player that Thompson is (though Thompson is the only person who actually believes that’s true), Frye still has real value as a role player to come off the bench as a stretch power forward or center. With his three point stroke and 41.1 percent shooting from 16 feet out last season, he has the ability to play as a reliable pick-and-pop option who won’t slow a team’s offense down when coming off the bench.

There are few backup big men with Frye’s kind of shooting efficiency, and even though he isn’t reliable as an interior defender, he can easily join most teams and contribute 15+ minutes a night.

So, whether or not the Cavaliers resort to a trade with the Magic at some point if they can’t work things out with Thompson, Frye is still a notable target for other teams around the league. He may not be worthy of starting wherever he goes, but if he is available for very little as Lowe reported, someone may get a steal by snatching up Frye to give their bench some reliable floor spacing.

Next: Each NBA Team's All-Time Starting Five

More from NBA

Home/NBA