Aldama to Dallas: the stretch big Cooper Flagg needed

Picture the play: Kyrie Irving breaks down his defender, the help rotates from the corner and the pass flies out to a 6-foot-11 big who already has his feet set to shoot. That play — exactly that play — is what the Mavericks just bought. Dallas has finalized the trade for Santi Aldama from the Grizzlies, sending out AJ Johnson, a 2030 first-round pick and two future second-rounders as part of a multi-team deal that also sends Isaiah Stewart from Detroit to Memphis.

What the Mavericks are buying: points that don't cost possessions

The number that defines Aldama isn't how much he scores — it's how. Of his points per game, 4.7 come off catch-and-shoot opportunities and only 1.3 are self-created. He's built to feast off the advantages others generate, and in Dallas — where the ball already has owners — that's worth its weight in gold.

His relationship with the ball tells the whole story: 54.1 touches per game but just 1.84 seconds per touch. He catches, decides, shoots or moves. The offense never stalls. As his shot chart shows, his volume clusters exactly where the system feeds him: catch-and-shoot accounts for 39% of his plays and transition another 23%, where he performs above the league average.

There's a precedent for what happens when you surround him with elite creators: in Memphis, his best lineup ever — featuring Morant, Bane and Jackson Jr., all since departed — posted a +17.9 net rating per 100 possessions over 15 games. Aldama doesn't lead lineups. He elevates them.

The fine print nobody talks about: defense

Here's the angle the casual fan misses. Aldama ranks among the best bigs in the league at defending the pick and roll: he surrenders just 0.817 points per possession when his assignment runs ball screens. For a team that's going to live off defensive switches and drop coverage, he's an insurance policy. He also holds his own in the paint, contesting 4.1 shots at the rim per game.

Why the fit in Dallas works

The current Mavericks roster is stacked with creators (Irving, Cooper Flagg), vertical bigs who need space to attack the rim (Gafford, Lively) and veteran shooters (Klay Thompson, Middleton). What it didn't have was a big who could space the floor without demanding offensive hierarchy. Aldama — coming off his best season (12.5 points and a BPM of 3.2 in 2024-25, including a 37-point explosion against Washington) — is exactly that piece: he punishes help defenders, runs the floor in transition and doesn't compete with anyone for the ball.

The tactical fit

Generate the advantage

Kyrie IrvingCooper Flagg

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Punishes help defense off the ball

Santi Aldama

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Get space to attack the rim

Daniel GaffordDereck Lively II

What Dallas isn't buying — and what Memphis walks away with

Let's be honest about the price. A 2030 first-rounder and two second-rounders is a lot of draft capital for a player who can't reliably create his own shot: his efficiency as a catch-and-shoot threat sits below the league average, and in clutch situations — the final five minutes of close games — he barely contributes 0.5 points on 34.4% shooting. He is not a closer, and nobody should sell him as one. The Grizzlies, for their part, come away with draft assets, a young piece in AJ Johnson and frontcourt depth in Stewart: a textbook rebuild.

At $18.5 million this season and under contract through 2028, Dallas hasn't signed a star. They've signed the glue that makes the stars perform. And in a locker room full of big names, that's rarer than raw talent.