Two more players have been included in the recent NBA blockbuster trade that saw James Harden take his talents to the Brooklyn Nets. According to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers have now renounced the rights of Channing Frye and Ante Zizic as part of the deal.
It is worth noting that both Frye and Zizic were not part of Cleveland's roster this 2020-21 NBA season. However, the Cavs still held the rights to both free agents, and as the report stated above, they will now have to renounce the same.
Zizic played three seasons with the Cavs between 2017 and 2020. The 23rd overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-10 big man averaged 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in a total of 113 games played for Cleveland.
Frye, on the other hand, played a key role in the Cavs' 2016 LeBron James-led title run. He parted ways with Cleveland in the middle of the 2017-18 season as part of the deal that saw Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. join the Wine and Gold from the Los Angeles Lakers. Frye then returned to Cleveland for one final season during the 2018-19 campaign before announcing his retirement from the NBA in the summer of 2019.
As part of the James Harden deal, the Cavs were able to acquire Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince from the Nets. Allen, in particular, is expected to play a key role for Cleveland moving forward. The 22-year-old NBA big man could step into the team's franchise center role, which does not bode well for the future of Andre Drummond.