LeBron James Says There's 'No Shade' on Anyone After Cavaliers Trades

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is pleased with the Cavs' flurry of moves ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, but he doesn't want that to come off as disrespectful of his former teammates.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relayed comments James made Friday night after the team's 123-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

"It's not about what the other guys didn't bring or what these guys bring," he said. "We're all professionals, and we were happy with the guys that we had, and we're going to [be] happy with the guys that we have now. That's the way the league is, it's a business. There's no shade on anybody."

Cleveland overhauled its roster in the hours leading up to the deadline.

The Cavaliers acquired George Hill and Rodney Hood as part of a three-team trade that included the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. They added Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson as part of a deal sending Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cleveland also traded Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and Iman Shumpert off the roster.

None of the team's new players were in uniform Friday night. Head coach Tyronn Lue said they'll get their feet wet in Cleveland's system during Saturday's practice, per McMenamin.

"More so it's going to be a walkthrough, just trying to teach the new guys the plays and what we're trying to do defensively," Lue said. "Then just kind of go from there."

While it will take time for the new players to acclimate themselves, the Cavaliers didn't have much to lose by shaking things up. They were in a prolonged slump dating back to Christmas, and there were no signs they could right the ship in time to make a title push.

James noted there's a lot of "excitement" about the arrivals, who should see their first action Sunday afternoon in a high-profile Eastern Conference clash with the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.