Cavaliers Traded for Key Championship Contributor 10 Years Ago

It’s been ten years to the day since the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt fan-favorite Anderson Varejao for Channing Frye as part of a three-team trade.

Frye came over from Orlando for rarely used wing Jared Cunningham and Varejao was sent to Portland, who eventually bought out the forward. Draft compensation was also involved, but Frye and Varejao were the key pieces changing teams.

Though Frye’s addition was initially met with skepticism from Cavs fans who spent more than a decade wearing “Wild Thing” wigs to Cavs home games, they quickly grew to appreciate Frye’s skills and personality.

The 7-footer was the kind of stretch big the Cavaliers had sought for years. Across 17 playoff games during the Cavs’ 2016 championship run, Frye shot better than 55% from three. His consistency from long range was on full display during a memorable second-round sweep of the Atlanta Hawks when Frye connected on 7-of-9 treys during the series’ third game of an eventual sweep.

Frye’s shooting ability and length drew plenty of defensive attention, allowing LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to drive the lane and get to the bucket seemingly whenever they wanted.

Despite his effort and popularity, that was not something Varejao could provide.

Frye spent parts of three seasons with the Cavaliers

Nearly as important as Frye’s on-court contributions were those he made within the Cavs’ locker room. It’s no secret that Cleveland teams often mixed like water and oil away from the court. That changed with the acquisition of Frye.

In Cleveland he linked up with his former college teammate, Richard Jefferson, and they spearheaded a new team group chat that is reportedly still active today. Before long, Jefferson, Frye, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and the rest of the crew were regularly seen across social media hanging out and laughing with one another on a nearly nightly basis. The star-studded roster’s vibes were at an all-time high.

A championship soon followed against a Golden State Warriors team that, as fate would have it, rostered Varejao after his buyout from the Trail Blazers.

It’s a 3-1 comeback and championship season that probably doesn’t happen without Frye’s contributions both on and off the court. He didn’t just drain threes; he drained them with a smile and 14 Cavalier teammates cheering him on in unison.

Frye spent another season and a half with the Cavs, including the first half of the 2017–18 campaign where he connected on a career-high 93% of his free throws. He was then dealt to the Lakers for the second half of the season before resigning with Cleveland in the offseason. That 2018–19 season was the final of his memorable career.

In his last NBA outing, a home game against Charlotte, Frye was given a standing ovation after draining two threes and pouring in 10 points in the game’s final minutes. Frye was always capable of cooking.