When Masai Ujiri was hired as the president of the Dallas Mavericks, he became an instant hit. He has global connections to get the guys he wants, and that continued when he traded away AJ Johnson to get Santi Aldama, a versatile power forward/center from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Grizzlies are also getting a protected 2030 Warriors first-round pick and two future second-round picks. Aldama is seven feet but plays like a small forward with his slashing, length, and, most importantly, perimeter shooting.
The Mavericks were one of the bottom feeders in 3-point shooting last season, and that will continue to haunt them if they don't change up their roster. In a week, they have drastically changed that, as the Mavs drafted Sergio De Larrea, another Spanish player. Aldama is just another piece of the unsolved puzzle.
Santi Aldama will help solve the Mavericks' 3-point shooting woes
The Mavs shot 34.4 percent from deep last season, 27th in the league. Aldama provides a big man archetype who can solve those shooting woes in an instant.
The five-year man out of Spain and Loyola (Maryland) put up a career high in points, averaging 14 points a game, but only played in 43 games last year, as Aldama continued to deal with right knee issues. If we're specifically talking about a 3-point sample, Aldama shot 37 percent from deep in the 2024-25 season when he played in 65 games.
In that same season, Aldama averaged 48 percent from the field, another career high.
All in all, he's continued to get better every year, improving his minutes and his confidence cutting to the basket and scoring. Now, he's not going to be an instant impact player, as he will have to play second fiddle to Morez Johnson Jr., but he will be that perfect energizer bunny off the bench to get things going if they fall apart.
With Aldama, De Larrea, Max Christie, and John Poulakidas (hopefully on a standard contract), the Mavs' future is looking bright, and they made a ginormous step by acquiring Aldama.
For Johnson, he's a 21-year-old athlete still trying to get his career on track, but early on, he's looking like a potential journeyman. Nothing wrong with that, but hopefully he can find his niche with Memphis.
It's been a week for the Grizzlies, as they finally got Ja Morant off their back to go to the Portland Trail Blazers, and in all honesty, if we're looking at this from the Grizzlies' perspective, it's a win-win. They get more picks to secure their future around Cameron Boozer, Zach Edey and Cedric Coward.
It's a new era for the Mavericks, and Ujiri continues to cook this offseason.
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