LeBron James 'Bothered' Dwyane Wade Signing Was Unpopular with Cavs Players

Dwyane Wade has started to settle into life with the Cleveland Cavaliers during their recent nine-game winning streak, but the start of his tenure with the team was evidently a bit rocky. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Jason Lloyd (h/t USA Today's Erik Garcia Gundersen), LeBron James disclosed several of his teammates weren't thrilled by the team's decision to bring Wade aboard on a one-year deal. 

"There was a couple guys with it," James told Lloyd. "But it wasn't a lot.

"I still know what he's capable of doing. Why wouldn't you want another guy in the locker room that brings a championship mentality and a guy who can still play? So, of course, it bothered me, but f--k it. It is what it is."

LeBron's candor comes less than two months after ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reported Wade's signing "triggered some angst within the Cavaliers organization" because it forced out Richard Jefferson and required head coach Tyronn Lue to reshuffle his starting lineup by sending JR Smith to the bench. 

However, it wasn't long before Wade and the Cavaliers agreed a move to the second unit was best for the team. 

"For me, coming here, knowing I could be on the second unit and all the guys that could be on that unit, I thought that was important for me to come," Wade told Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon. 

"That's why I took myself out of the starting lineup early, because I knew that would be the most important thing for this team, to be on that unit. That's what I thought coming here."

Entering Thursday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks, Wade is averaging 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field through 14 games in November. 

Broken down further, Wade has registered 12.9 points, 5.2 boards, 4.1 dimes and 1.1 steals a night over the nine-game winning streak that has seen the 14-7 Cavaliers vault all the way up to No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.