Iman Shumpert Says No Hard Feelings for Kyrie Irving After Trade to Celtics

Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Iman Shumpert said there's no hard feelings toward former teammate Kyrie Irving following his blockbuster trade to the Boston Celtics, which saw the Cavs receive Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and draft picks.

On Friday, TMZ Sports relayed comments from Shumpert about the high-profile swap. He said his message to Thomas, the biggest chip in the return package, is to "Get your work shoes on" and noted he had no problem with Irving's exit from Cleveland.

"Nah, that's my bro," he said. "This a business, dog. This all a business. I used to do the, you know, super loyalty, all [that], it's a business at the end of the day. You can't get mad when things...don't go how you want it to go cause it's in your heart. It's just a business."

The Cavaliers and Celtics are scheduled to open the 2017-18 NBA season with a head-to-head matchup at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Oct. 17. Shumpert told TMZ Sports he's ready for the battle.

"I know how Kyrie play. I know we gotta beat them. That's it," he said, before responding to a question about the Celtics new point guard by adding: "I know all his moves."

It's no guarantee the 27-year-old Georgia Tech product will still be on the Cavs roster by the time that game tips off, though.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reported last week Shumpert, like Irving, made a trade request to the team's front office following last season. He pointed out there were discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, but the sides couldn't couldn't come to a final agreement.

In fact, the Cavaliers have been shopping Shumpert around the league for "at least a year" without any success, per Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer. He expects the guard would need to get included in a more complex trade in order to get moved.

So the Illinois native continues to prepare for at least one more season in Cleveland. Just like so many other members of the Cavs roster, including Thomas and LeBron James, he can become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming campaign.