Channing Frye was traded to the Lakers during the deadline in a package involving Isaiah Thomas, and it means one very weird thing is happening: Frye’s new coach is Luke Walton, who he played with at Arizona:
The Cavs-Lakers trade means Luke Walton will coach Channing Frye, his old college teammate
This will be one of the weirdest factoids of the NBA trade deadline.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Walton left the Wildcats in 2003 when Frye was a sophomore. From there their careers took different turns. Walton went on to play 10 seasons before moving up through NBA coaching ranks and assuming the role as Lakers head coach, while Frye is now a 12-year veteran and was a rotational piece for the Cavaliers.
This isn’t the first time Walton has found himself in a similar position. Anderson Varejao, Mo Speights and Shaun Livingston were all Walton’s teammates during his tenure with the Cavaliers only to play for him when Walton became the interim head coach of the Warriors. But that’s not nearly as pronounced as coaching your old college teammate.
It’s like when you and a friend are in the same job and the friend has management dreams and you don’t. It’s definitely one of the weirder factoids that will come out of the NBA trade deadline this year.
