LeBron James on Cavaliers Making a Trade: 'That's Not a Question for Me'

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James wouldn't comment on whether the Cleveland front office needs to upgrade the roster before Thursday's NBA trade deadline following the Cavs' 120-88 loss to the Houston Rockets at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com passed along comments the four-time Most Valuable Player made after the Cavs were blown out on national television.

"I'm a player, and that's it," James said. "That's not a question for me. I show up to work every day. I bust my tail every day. I'm the first one to get to the gym, and I'm one of the last ones to leave. I do my part. I control what I can control, and that is what I can control."

It's a different approach than James used one year ago.

Last January, the NBA's gold standard lashed out about his team's lack of backcourt depth during a similar stretch of lackluster play by the then-defending champions.

"We need a f--king playmaker," James told reporters.

Now, the Cavs are sputtering toward the All-Star break. They lost 10 of their 13 games from Christmas Day through Jan. 23, and, after a two-game winning streak, they've dropped two of their past three contests.

But James, who can exercise a player option in his contract to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, appears content to let the front office decide how to act this time around.

On Thursday, Bill Simmons of The Ringer relayed a trade-related theory about a rumor from Chris Haynes of ESPN.com that linked the 33-year-old James with a potential free-agent meeting with the Golden State Warriors:

If Cleveland seeks a trade before the deadline, its focus will likely be defense. The Cavs rank 26th in points allowed per game and 25th in opponents' field-goal percentage.