Richard Jefferson Admits Cavs Were Surprised By Kyrie Irving’s Trade Request

Richard Jefferson and Kyrie Irving were teammates for two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers before both found new homes this past offseason with Irving being traded to the Boston Celtics and Jefferson signing a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets.

Irving’s request to be traded by the Cavs took the entire NBA world by surprise last summer, and that includes Jefferson, who spoke with the media before the Celtics’ game against the Nuggets on Monday.

While Irving’s desire to leave LeBron James and the Cavs shocked the veteran swingman, the star point guard’s success in Boston certainly hasn’t.

Yes, that was a flat-Earth rib at Irving.

Irving had led the Celtics to the best record in the Eastern Conference with their eyes locked on a date with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Jefferson, on the other hand, is serving as the veteran presence on a young Nuggets team that is fighting to make the playoffs.