Dallas agrees on the arrival of Santi Aldama, Memphis gets a young guard and future draft picks
Memphis, USA — The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in which Santi Aldama, a Spanish big man who in recent seasons has grown into one of the most useful members of the Tennessee team’s rotation, is expected to arrive in Texas. According to an ESPN report carried by NBA.com, Dallas receives Aldama and the rights to Tarik Biberović in the deal, while Memphis takes on AJ Johnson, the Golden State Warriors’ protected 2030 first-round pick and two future second-round draft picks. In this way, the Mavericks add a player who can cover multiple positions in the front part of the rotation, while the Grizzlies continue collecting developmental and draft-capital resources in a period in which their roster has already gone through significant changes. The agreement was announced on July 1, 2026, and according to available information it is a move that makes both sporting and financial sense for both franchises. For Dallas, the most important part of the deal is Aldama’s combination of height, shooting and passing game, while for Memphis the key value lies in future picks and the possibility of opening additional space for younger players.
What is included in the trade
According to information published by ESPN and NBA.com, the structure of the trade is fairly clear and does not include the highest-profile stars, but it can have a long-term impact on the way both teams build their rosters. Dallas receives Santi Aldama, a 25-year-old power forward and center, as well as the draft rights to Tarik Biberović, a Fenerbahçe player who was selected with the 56th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. Memphis receives AJ Johnson in return, a talented guard who entered the NBA as a first-round pick, then the Golden State Warriors’ protected 2030 first-round pick and two future second-round picks. Hoops Rumors, citing Shams Charania, states that the Warriors pick is top-20 protected, which means it could turn into a second-round pick if it finishes within the protected range in 2030. Such protection reduces the immediate value of the pick, but it still gives Memphis additional assets in future negotiations.
- Dallas receives: Santi Aldama and the draft rights to Tarik Biberović.
- Memphis receives: AJ Johnson, the Golden State Warriors’ protected 2030 first-round pick and two future second-round picks.
- Key sporting effect for Dallas: greater depth under the rim, more shooting from big positions and additional tactical flexibility.
- Key sporting effect for Memphis: a younger guard, additional draft picks and the continuation of reshaping the roster.
Aldama arrives after the best season of his career
Aldama arrives in Dallas after a season in which, according to ESPN statistics, he averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27.9 minutes per game across 43 games for Memphis. ESPN’s data also show that he shot 47.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point range, confirming the profile of a player who is not limited only to finishing plays near the basket. In modern NBA basketball, such a combination is especially valuable because big men who can stretch the floor open space for primary creators, make pick-and-pop attacks easier and force opposing centers to leave the paint. Aldama is not an elite shot blocker or a dominant defensive center, but he is mobile enough to switch defensive assignments and skilled enough not to slow down the rhythm on offense. For the Mavericks, this is an important addition because it allows them to use different lineups, from taller and stronger five-man groups to formations in which big men participate in the flow of the ball.
An important part of Aldama’s value is also his developmental trajectory. The official Memphis Grizzlies announcement from July 2025 states that he finished the 2024/25 season with then-career highs of 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range. Already in the following season, according to ESPN, he increased his scoring average and maintained a similar level of rebounding and passing contribution, although he did not play a full season. That is relevant for Dallas because it is not getting a veteran on a downward trajectory, but a player entering his best basketball years who already has five seasons of NBA experience. Aldama is young enough to fit into the team’s medium-term construction, but also experienced enough to be part of the rotation immediately. Such a profile is often sought after on the market, especially when teams are trying to remain competitive and maintain flexibility at the same time.
Health status remains an important part of the assessment
Although Aldama’s numbers from the latest season are the best of his career, the health context cannot be ignored. In March 2026, the Memphis Grizzlies officially announced that Aldama had undergone an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee and received an orthobiologic injection to reduce discomfort in the trochlear part of the knee. In the same announcement, the club stated that he would miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season, but also that a full recovery was expected before the 2026/27 season. Therefore, his arrival in Dallas should not be viewed only through statistics, but also through the medical projection that the Mavericks will have to monitor carefully during preparations. If the recovery proceeds according to Memphis’ announcements, Aldama should be ready for the start of the new competitive year and could quickly find a place in the rotation.
For Dallas, that risk is softened by the fact that Aldama does not necessarily have to carry the role of the first or second offensive option. His value comes from the fact that he can complement the main ball handlers, hit open shots, attack from the second line and help on the boards. In lineups with multiple creators, he can play as a big who moves toward the perimeter, while in more physically demanding games he can serve as an additional body in the paint. Such versatility reduces the pressure on his return because the team does not have to depend on one specific role. Still, every assessment of his minutes and impact in Dallas will depend on how the knee reacts to a full training camp and the rhythm of the regular season.
Why this player profile suits Dallas
The Mavericks are entering a new period under the leadership of Dusty May, and the club’s official announcement states that May was named head coach on June 23, 2026, after leading the University of Michigan to the NCAA championship. NBA.com, in an Associated Press report, highlighted that May is taking over a team led by Cooper Flagg, the current Rookie of the Year award winner, with the expectation that Kyrie Irving will remain an important part of the backcourt. In such an environment, Aldama can have a clear function: stretch the floor, connect the offense and allow the coach to change the arrangement of big men depending on the opponent. His arrival is not a move that by itself changes the hierarchy of the Western Conference, but it is an example of a transaction that makes the roster more balanced. After turbulent seasons, Dallas needs players who do not require the ball constantly, but can punish defensive rotations.
Aldama’s shooting threat is especially important if Dallas wants to increase the space around Flagg’s drives and Irving’s one-on-one game. When a big man can hit a three from the corner or above the top of the key, the defense has to make tougher decisions: stay closer to the shooter and open space for the drive, or help in the paint and risk an open shot. Aldama is not merely a stationary shooter, because in Memphis he showed that he can pass from the high post, push the ball in transition and attack slower defenders after switches. That makes him useful in an offense that does not rely exclusively on isolations, but seeks quick ball circulation and changes in attacking angles. If May transfers from college basketball to the NBA an emphasis on rhythm, movement and tactical adaptability, Aldama could be a player who fits well into such an idea.
Memphis continues collecting assets for a new phase
For Memphis, the trade is a continuation of a broader change of direction. NBA.com previously reported that during 2026 the Grizzlies sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in a deal that included multiple players and future picks, while the same portal also reported that Ja Morant ended up with the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade through which Memphis began a new phase. In that context, Aldama’s departure does not seem like an isolated move, but part of a process in which the team is moving away from the core that had carried its ambitions in the Western Conference in previous years. Memphis received additional draft picks, younger players and financial flexibility in those deals, and the trade with Dallas fits into the same logic. AJ Johnson and future picks give the Grizzlies more possibilities, even if none of those elements is a guaranteed star.
Johnson is a developmental project for Memphis at the perimeter positions. NBA.com’s 2024 draft profile described him as a 6-foot-5 guard with physical tools, shot-creation ability and defensive potential thanks to his length. Such players in the early phase of their careers often need stable minutes and a clear developmental structure, and a team in the middle of reshaping can offer them more room than a club immediately chasing the top of the conference. Johnson’s arrival does not automatically solve the question of Memphis’ future backcourt, but it gives the Grizzlies another young player whom they can evaluate without the pressure of major expectations. For a team accumulating picks and testing different profiles, such an addition makes sense.
The rights to Biberović expand Dallas’ future options
A less visible but interesting part of the deal for Dallas is the rights to Tarik Biberović. The Memphis Grizzlies officially announced that they selected Biberović with the 56th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, after the Fenerbahçe wing had already gained several years of professional experience in European basketball. Before the draft, NBA.com described him as a possible candidate for a development model outside the NBA, noting that he shows shooting potential and the ability to play on the wing. Euroleague Basketball states in the player profile that Biberović has been a member of Fenerbahçe since 2019, after developing with Spars from Sarajevo, and that he has experience with the national-team selections of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the Mavericks, this does not necessarily mean that Biberović will immediately come to the NBA, but the rights to him could become a useful asset if the player continues to progress in Europe.
In practice, draft rights to a player from Europe often serve as a long-term option, an addition in future trades or a way for a club to retain control over a potential arrival without an immediate roster burden. Biberović’s profile is especially interesting because it fits the trend of searching for tall wings who can shoot and play without the ball. If Dallas concludes that it needs additional outside shooting from wing positions in the future, it can try to open negotiations about his arrival. If that does not happen, the rights still remain an asset that can be included in another deal. In a trade in which Aldama is the main value for Dallas, Biberović represents an additional layer of planning, not an immediate solution.
Financial logic and value for both sides
According to Spotrac, Aldama signed a three-year contract worth 52.5 million dollars with Memphis in the summer of 2025, and his base salary for the 2026/27 season is just over 17 million dollars. Such a contract is not minimal, but in today’s NBA environment it can be acceptable for a rotational big man who is young, shoots from outside and has proven production. Hoops Rumors states that Dallas can use a previously created trade exception in the deal, which is important because such a mechanism allows a team to take in salary without classic salary matching to the same extent. For Memphis, on the other hand, moving Aldama’s salary can be part of broader management of obligations, especially if the priority shifts toward younger players and future picks. The financial part of the deal is therefore closely connected to the sporting one: Dallas pays for proven rotational value, while Memphis exchanges present production for flexibility.
The value of the trade will not be able to be fully assessed immediately. If Aldama stays healthy and becomes a stable member of Dallas’ rotation, the Mavericks will get a player who can play important minutes without the need for another major investment. If Johnson develops into a useful guard, or if the 2030 Warriors pick gains more value than expected, Memphis will have an argument that it converted a present-day player into multiple future resources at the right time. A protected first-round pick always carries uncertainty, but in NBA negotiations such picks often have value even before it is known where they will land. Two additional second-round picks give the Grizzlies even more maneuvering room, whether for the draft or for future trades.
Broader significance for the NBA trade market
This deal is not the biggest trade of the summer, but it clearly shows how NBA clubs are increasingly looking for specific profiles rather than only big names. Dallas did not pay the price for a superstar, but for a player who fills a clear basketball need and can fit into multiple five-man units. Memphis did not get the face of the franchise, but it added assets that match a strategy of gradual rebuilding. In a league in which the new collective bargaining agreement further punishes expensive and inflexible rosters, trades like this can be just as important as louder deals. They determine depth, adaptability and a team’s ability to respond to injuries or market changes during the season.
For Aldama, the change of environment is an opportunity, after five seasons in Memphis, to get a new role on a team trying to build an identity around young leaders and a new coach. For Dallas, it is a test of evaluation: the club believes that his best season was not an exception, but an indicator of a player who can be even more useful in a different system. For Memphis, the decision is pragmatic and aligned with the new direction, although it means giving up a player who had continuously improved and had clear value in the rotation. The final answer will come only in the 2026/27 season, but it is already clear that the trade has more layers than a simple statistical comparison. Dallas got height and shooting for the present, Memphis got more options for the future, and Aldama got an opportunity to confirm in a new environment that his best NBA season was only the beginning of a more mature phase of his career.
Sources:
- NBA.com – structure of the Aldama trade to Dallas (link)
- ESPN – Aldama’s statistics for the 2025/26 season (link)
- Memphis Grizzlies – medical announcement about Aldama’s knee (link)
- Memphis Grizzlies – Aldama’s contract and 2024/25 statistics (link)
- Dallas Mavericks – appointment of Dusty May (link)
- NBA.com – May’s arrival and roster context (link)
- NBA.com – AJ Johnson draft profile (link)
- Memphis Grizzlies – selection of Tarik Biberović in 2023 (link)
- Euroleague Basketball – Tarik Biberović profile (link)
- Spotrac – Aldama’s contract and transaction (link)
- Hoops Rumors – protection on the Warriors’ 2030 pick (link)
- NBA.com – Jaren Jackson Jr. trade (link)
- NBA.com – Ja Morant trade (link)