The Mavericks newcomer is expected to be ready for training camp as he rests this summer.
Dallas Mavericks big man Santi Aldama, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in March, has announced that he will not participate in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying games for his home country of Spain next week.
This is good news for Mavs fans as the newcomer is expected to be ready in time to participate in training camp after prioritizing his recovery this summer, according to league insider Marc Stein.
Spain will hold its training camp for the second qualifying round Aug. 24-31. The country currently leads Group 1 with a record of 5-1.
"Aldama had been pushing to return in time after undergoing surgery, but Spain ultimately decided not to rush his recovery ahead of the upcoming NBA season with his new team, the Mavericks," says BasketNews.com.
Several NBA stars are expected to represent their nations in the upcoming FIBA rounds, such as the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama of France and the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic of Serbia.
Another Mavs Newcomer is Still On Team Spain
Spain has decided not to replace Aldama, giving it 14 players on the team. One of them is another new face to the Mavs, first-round draft pick Sergio De Larrea.
In EuroLeague this past year, the 20-year-old De Larrea averaged 4.2 points and 2.2 assists per game. In his about 11 minutes per game, the point guard shot nearly 40 percent from behind the 3-point line.
After a strong showing at Summer League, international competition through the late portions of the summer will allow De Larrea to continue sharpening his game as he pushes to earn bench minutes as a primary ball-handler in Dallas behind Kyrie Irving.
Aldama Headlines Mavs' Crowded Frontcourt
Aldama was acquired by Dallas in an offseason trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. The deal also brought over the draft rights to Turkish sharpshooter Tarik Biberovic, giving the Mavs two players with size and three-level offensive skill sets.
Aldama averaged 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game across five seasons in Memphis. He is coming off his best season as a pro, with career-high marks of 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game before the knee surgery ended his season.
When he returns to the court, Aldama will join a front court with several bodies that will be scrapping for playing time under new head coach Dusty May.
Star forward Cooper Flagg leads a group featuring P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, rookie Morez Johnson Jr., Zaccharie Risacher, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Moussa Cisse.
A 7-footer with a history of good rim protection, Aldama could realistically compete most with Lively and Gafford for minutes at center, but he's also shown he can step beyond the arc and hit 3s at a better rate than those two. That could also earn him minutes as a stretch power forward in rotation with Washington, Flagg and Johnson.
In the end, Aldama brings a unique blend of size and skill that fits perfectly into the intended roster construction by new front office leaders Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz.
And thankfully the Spanish big man will be healthy to get the season underway now that he's taking it easy this summer.
