Channing Frye traded to Luke Walton’s Lakers

Two college teammates are reunited in Los Angeles. Only one is the head coach this time.

They were once college teammates. Now one coaches the other.

Former Arizona Wildcat Channing Frye was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday in a deal that sent Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to Cleveland and Frye and former Washington standout Isaiah Thomas to Los Angeles.

The Lakers, of course, are coached by former Wildcat Luke Walton who played alongside Frye at Arizona from 2001-2003.

Frye, 34, is used to playing for young coaches, as Cleveland’s head coach is 40-year-old Tyronn Lue, but Walton, 37, is the youngest head coach in the NBA and it has to be a little odd playing for a guy you were once teammates with.

Unfortunately, this pairing will likely only last for a couple months since Frye’s contract expires at the end of the season.

Someone asked us on Twitter if there’s ever been another instance of an NBA coach having a college teammate on his roster, and I can’t think of one. If you guys can, please share in the comment section. It doesn’t seem like something that happens all that often.

The Lakers also have Miles Simon, Jud Buechler, and Jesse Mermuys on their coaching staff, so they are chock full of Wildcats.

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Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter at @RKelapire

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