The departure of veteran Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao provided plentiful reward for the title-contending Cavs on Thursday, as GM David Griffin pulled the trigger on a deal to acquire Orlando Magic forward Channing Frye. Varejao is headed to the Portland Trail Blazers in the deal along with a conditional first-round draft selection to cover his contract, while the Magic receive Jared Cunningham and a second-rounder from the Blazers.
Multi-Faceted Slate Of Benefits For Cleveland
This move instantly saves Cleveland's owner, Dan Gilbert, $10 million in payroll and luxury taxes. Additionally, this acquisition of Frye will be a great help for the team's depth and floor spacing, from the point of view of coach Tyronn Lue.
Back when the Cavs had both Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson roaming the paint, they'd take up court space on the offensive end inside, blocking potential driving lanes for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to the basket. Frye can line up outside the arc to give James and Irving those options despite playing the 4.
Frye is also an above-average shot blocker, which helps coach Lue space the floor while not giving up any leeway on the defensive end of the court. The power forward has averaged 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game so far this season.
Over his career, Frye has averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game.
Bittersweet Exit For Cavs Favorite Varejao
Varejao has been with the Cavs since July of 2004, when Orlando traded him to Cleveland after selecting him 30th in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft.
The big fella has been reliable when not injured for the Cavaliers; last season Varejao started the all of the first 26 games before an Achilles injury ended his season. So far this season, the center has averaged 2.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.2 blocks per game while averaging 7.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game through his career.