Opposing GM says Koby Altman showing poise in Irving trade talks

Koby Altman was dealt a pretty raw hand for his first GM job of his career after having been the Cavaliers third-in-command last season. Beyond just filling out the roster, he’s also got Kyrie Irving trade negotiations to deal with.

According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, he’s handling it pretty well thus far.

"I'll say this about [Altman]," one rival GM interested in Irving told ESPN. "He isn't overwhelmed. He's showing real poise."

Altman reportedly hasn’t been too aggressive in seeking out trades and making calls, presumably to project that the Cavaliers aren’t desperate to get a trade done and could be okay with starting camp with Irving wearing wine and gold.

Altman reportedly is looking for a Carmelo Anthony-to-New-York-esque return in a deal for Irving, but it’s unclear if teams are really all that willing to offer it. The Knicks famously lost that deal by giving up more than they needed to for a player that didn’t want to be in Denver anymore.

Making Altman’s job harder is the fact that each star traded this offseason has been dealt for a significantly worse return than most expected, whether it be Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul (though his situation was more unique) or even Boogie Cousins midseason last year.

The market isn’t paying up for stars. We’ll see if Irving’s value is higher, and just how good of a job Altman will do to extract that value.