Channing Frye floats cold-blooded Donovan Mitchell plan after Cavs’ ECF exit

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell maintained that he is not keen on leaving. He is eligible for a contract extension in July, and it will be interesting to see how much money the Cavaliers are willing to give him.

That is, if Cleveland does not trade him.

The Cavaliers experienced an embarrassing end to their season after getting swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite the talented foursome of Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers were badly outmatched by the Knicks.

For former Cleveland forward Channing Frye, there is an easy fix: Let go of Harden and either Mitchell or Mobley. He pointed out on “The Road Trippin’ Show” that the pairing of Mitchell and Mobley “does not work.”

“I don’t think Donovan Mitchell is a true number one and take-you-to-the NBA-Finals person. Do I think he’s a great player? Yes.

“I think Mobley is a two also, personally. So you’ve got to bring a one in there, a real one.”

Channing Frye says the Cavs need to move on from Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley”

“I just think the difference between KAT and Brunson, Brunson is a true number one. I don’t think Donovan Mitchell is a true number one take you to the NBA finals person. Like he’s a great player,… pic.twitter.com/6wPfdq7j58

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 27, 2026

When one of his co-hosts, Richard Jefferson, also an ex-Cavaliers forward, argued that it is not right to get rid of an All-NBA player like Mitchell, Frye countered that the high-scoring guard is not worth a lucrative contract.

“So you’re supposed to sit here and pay him $200 million to be the most expensive underachieving team?” added Frye, who said he would pick Mobley over Mitchell.

“There is no team that we’ve talked about that has bigger what-ifs than the Cavs. The Cavs had the most pressure going into the thing. Listen, if you’re going to pay all that money for something, it’s like going to an M. Night Shyamalan movie. You’re like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be great, finally!’ Then you’re like, ‘Oh, here we go again. They got me!'”

Mitchell, who apologized to Cleveland after their sorry exit, is set to earn $50 million next season and has a player option worth $54 million for 2027-2028.

Richardson and Frye won a championship with the Wine and Gold in 2016.

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