Since the beginning of Kyrie Irving’s trade request saga with the Cleveland Cavaliers, none of his teammates have rushed to his defense.Until now.Veteran forward Richard Jefferson, who is known for keeping it real on his “Road Trippin’” podcast, explained that he understands Irving’s mindset."I think Kyrie is a hyper-intelligent kid," Jefferson said on Monday’s episode of the podcast. "Really, really smart. Doesn't get enough credit for how smart he is, and I think seeing that the franchise is in flux, I think seeing [David Griffin] leave and the amount of coaches ... I think Kyrie has had a much tougher time in this stretch of the organization than anyone ever wants to ever really fully [recognize].”"He's the No. 1 pick right after LeBron [left for Miami in 2010], then he has three different coaches, then LeBron comes back, now there's trade rumors, now it's 'LeBron's leaving.' It's like at some point in time, anybody would want some sort of stability,” Jefferson explained.Since entering the NBA six years ago, Irving is on his fourth head coach in Tyronn Lue and third general manager in Koby Altman.Interestingly, Jefferson dispelled the notion that there is any kind of feud between Irving and LeBron James."I don't think that there's a power struggle, like with LeBron and Kyrie and [Kevin Love]," Jefferson said.

Reporting from multiple outlets has claimed that Irving no longer wants to play alongside LeBron in a “Robin to Batman” type of situation and instead wants to become the face of his own franchise elsewhere.

But, Jefferson isn’t buying the media’s portrayal of the situation.

"I think Kyrie knows how important he is to our team," Jefferson said. "LeBron knows how important he is. He has been on this podcast. They have been on this podcast together multiple times together where 'Bron was like, 'Dude, this is my guy, I need him. He is so important to me, my kids love him.' And again, just like any family there are ups and downs, there are moments that you hate them, moments that you love them, and then you just kind of keep it moving.”

This adds a whole new layer to the ongoing drama. 

While Jefferson clearly would prefer that Irving remains in Cleveland through at least next season, it's very telling that Jefferson supports Irving's willingness to leave town. That not only speaks to Irving's status in the organization, but also how his teammates not named LeBron view him.