Mavericks forward Santi Aldama took another step in his recovery on Tuesday, when the team sent him to the G League to practice with the Texas Legends as part of his return-to-play protocol, the club announced.
The timing works out well for both sides. The G League’s Tip-Off Tournament does not start until November 6, but training camps began this week, and teams are already scrimmaging as they ramp up for the season. That gave Aldama a chance to get the kind of full practice he wouldn’t have gotten with Dallas on Tuesday, since the Mavericks had just played Monday night and are back on the floor Wednesday.
Aldama, who came over from Memphis in a six-team offseason trade, still hasn’t made his Mavericks debut. Even so, his ability to fully participate in scrimmages points to his return getting closer.
Cooper Flagg was back in the lineup Monday after missing Saturday with a sprained left shoulder, and he looked every bit like himself in Dallas’ 113-109 road win over Miami. The reigning Rookie of the Year logged 40 minutes and put up 29 points, six rebounds, five steals, three blocks, and 11 assists, matching his career high in playmaking.
Head coach Dusty May made it clear he sees even more passing production coming from Flagg. “If we get to where we’re really finding our rhythm offensively, he’s gonna have some 15, 20 assist games,” May said. “There’s no question.”
Walter Clayton also turned in a strong showing against the Heat, and he said the move to Dallas has gone more smoothly than the season he split between Memphis and Utah in 2025/26. Calling that stretch “up and down” and a “learning year,” the Mavericks two-way player described the change of scenery as a “seamless transition,” according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal.
Clayton has a built-in connection to May as well. May recruited him before he committed to the Gators, and Clayton wound up living with Dusty May’s son, Jack May, while at Florida, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line. On Monday, Clayton played 17 minutes and finished with 15 points, four assists, and a team-best plus-22.
Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban also spoke this week, saying on the Build or Break podcast that he learned some “hard lessons” from how things unfolded after he agreed to sell his controlling stake in the franchise. Cuban had expected to keep running the basketball operations side, but that did not happen once the Dumont and Adelson families took over.
“I’m a really trusting partner,” said Cuban, who remains a Mavericks minority owner. “If I shake your hand, I mean it. So, yeah, that was a first for me.”
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Insiders have started floating the idea that Houston could be a team to watch if Irvings situation in Dallas shifts again, with the fit alongside Kevin Durant naturally adding to the intrigue. For Mavericks fans, the most relevant part is not the rumor itself but what it could mean if Irving ever pushes for a change and Dallas has to decide how much it is willing to do to help shape the next move. [Read more 🡒]