After years of good basketball with the Memphis Grizzlies, Santi Aldama is now ready to take his first steps as a Dallas Mavericks player, the team he joined via a trade at the start of July.
The Spanish player has recovered from the surgery he had to undergo in the spring for a right knee injury, and the Texas franchise has listed him as questionable for the game they are due to play overnight away to the San Antonio Spurs.
For the Canary Islander, this is a key moment in his career. It is true that at the Grizzlies he established himself as a key piece, to the point of re-signing in 2025 for three years and $52.5m; however, he is now part of a project from which a great deal is expected.
With Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg as team-mates, Santi’s job is to contribute so that a side that has begun the 2026-27 NBA season well – they are 4-3 – can at least maintain that form and stay in the hunt for a playoff place. How much will he play? Only his coach, Dusty May, knows.
Santi Aldama, an established piece in the NBA
That is the reality for the Spanish player. Earning ever more prominence with the Grizzlies, Aldama finished last season averaging 14 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while also shooting 35 per cent from three-point range. In total he has now played 278 regular-season games and 10 in the playoffs. No, he is no rookie, and he must show that he can be important on a good team.
(Photograph by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
