Santi Aldama Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Notes: Harrison, Aldama, Jackson Jr., Jenkins

September 4th, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies signed guard Shaquille Harrison to a one-year contract and he could be a factor in the early going with Ja Morant serving his suspension, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Under the terms of the CBA, any player suspended more than six games will be put on the team’s suspended list after five. That will open a roster spot, and that’s where Harrison could add more depth. He can play either guard spot and has plenty of experience after passing through six other NBA organizations.

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Santi Aldama had a big game for Spain when his national team was eliminated in the FIBA World Cup by Canada, Cole writes. The big man poured in 20 points, though he only grabbed two rebounds in Canada’s three-point win. Jaren Jackson Jr. was plagued by foul trouble trying to check former Grizzlies teammate and Lithuanian national team center Jonas Valanciunas in Team USA’s six-point loss on Sunday.
In a subscriber-only story, Cole opines that coach Taylor Jenkins’ future with the organization hinges on its performance in the postseason. The Grizzlies were bounced in the first round by the Lakers this past season after losing to the Warriors in the conference semifinals the previous year.
As we previously noted, the Grizzlies already have a full roster going into training camp. Even if Harrison’s contract isn’t guaranteed, the Grizzlies will have to trim two players with guaranteed deals by opening night.

World Cup Notes: France, Latvia, Aldama, Blatt

August 28th, 2023 at 7:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Team France general manager Boris Diaw said the two losses that eliminated the team from World Cup contention were troubling in different ways, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net.

“The two games were very different. First game against Canada, a team that plays very tough,” he said. “I think the concern there was that we gave up at the end of the game. On the way to losing the game. You don’t want to lose by 30 by giving up in the last minutes. That was one concern. Latvia was different. This is a game where we could’ve really played together. But we didn’t play all the way until the end and didn’t play smart enough to win.”

We have more updates from the FIBA World Cup international competition:

Speaking of Team Latvia, former NBA forward Rodions Kurucs called the win over France “amazing” and cited his team’s toughness and togetherness for the upset win, according to Stroggylakis. “I played the whole game fighting on defense,” he said. “We were sharing the ball really well. Every 50-50 ball, every rebound, we fought for it.”
Following Spain’s win over Brazil, Grizzlies big man Santi Aldama spoke to Stroggylakis about his national team’s winning culture. “I think the winning part is secondary,” Aldama said. “Meaning, the culture here that’s really good. And I think that’s what makes this team a winning team. That’s what we have to built on. We work very hard every day, we have to continue doing that and let it talk through our game.”
Canada is 2-0 heading into its game against Latvia on Tuesday. Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt is a general consultant for the Canadian team and spoke of its aims to Stroggylakis. “I’m a part of a great organization and I’m happy to be a part of what we’re trying to accomplish here with Canada basketball. And that’s becoming a team of the highest level in the FIBA scene and performing well in all competitions we’re part in,” he said.

Grizzlies Notes: Aldama, Kennard, Former Owners

August 11th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama is playing for the Spanish national team this summer as it looks to defend its gold medal from the 2019 World Cup. In an exhibition match against Luka Doncic and Slovenia on Friday, Aldama led Spain to a 99-79 victory, recording a game-high 18 points along with seven assists and six rebounds, according to Eurohoops.net.

The 30th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Aldama improved across the board during his second season with Memphis in 2022/23, averaging 9.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG on .470/.353/.750 shooting in 77 games (20 starts, 21.8 MPG). The 22-year-old could be in line for a bigger role next season, as Brandon Clarke will likely be sidelined for most — if not all — of ’23/24 after tearing his Achilles tendon in March, though general manager Zach Kleiman did express optimism in June regarding Clarke’s recovery timeline.

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Sharpshooter Luke Kennard, a trade deadline addition who led the NBA in three-point percentage each of the past two seasons, praised Memphis’ offseason moves and is bullish on the team’s outlook for ’23/24, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes (subscriber link). “We got some really good additions this summer, and I think they’re going to help our team out a lot,” Kennard said. “We’re really excited. I know we have a really good team this year. With our coaches and everybody just buying in to what we want to do, we have a really good chance of being a really special team this year.” The Grizzlies signed veteran guard Derrick Rose — Kennard’s former teammate with Detroit — in free agency, and added Marcus Smart in a three-team trade that sent Tyus Jones to the Wizards, among other transactions.
The former owners of the Grizzlies have lost a court case involving a $10.7MM tax deduction for deferred compensation dating back to 2012. Michael McMann of Sportico has the details.
In case you missed it, Jayson Tatum recently discussed what Smart will bring to the Grizzlies, and Jaren Jackson Jr. was voted by his peers as the most impressive player of Team USA’s training camp.

Southwest Notes: Spurs Arena, Mavs’ WNBA Investment, Jackson Jr., Aldama

August 7th, 2023 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s no coincidence that the Spurs found a sponsor for their arena after winning the lottery and selecting Victor Wembanyama, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News writes. The arena, previously named the AT&T Center, has been renamed Frost Bank Center. The agreement is expected to last for the duration of the team’s lease, which runs through the 2031/32 season.

The Spurs received about 4,000 new season-ticket deposits between the lottery and draft due to Wembanyama mania. That helped to convince Front Bank to become the new sponsor.

The AT&T Center’s marquee became available in 2021, when the telecommunications company decided not to renew its naming rights deal. The Spurs were unable to find a new partner at that time, so they extended their agreement with AT&T through last season.

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The Mavericks and the WNBA’s Dallas Wings have forged a business and philanthropic partnership, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. The Wings, who are independently owned, are now wearing a Mavericks-sponsored jersey patch featuring the logos of the Mavericks and GEM: Girls Empowered by Mavericks. The Mavericks have made a seven-figure investment in the WNBA club. “I’m unaware of any partnership to this extent, breadth and depth between NBA and WNBA teams that are not a shared ownership situation,” Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb said.
In a subscriber-only article, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details how the Grizzlies front office has been in contact with Team USA and Spain with regard to the minutes Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama will play in the FIBA World Cup and is pleased with the communication from both national teams.
Aldama is looking forward to playing against top competition in the World Cup, the Grizzlies forward told Michael Wallace of the team’s website. “This is all just in general for my growth,” he said. “It’s just a learning opportunity. I need to put on some pounds, get bigger, quicker and stronger overall. I’ve got to get to the best version of myself and help my teammates in as many ways as possible, play multiple positions.”
The Rockets recently added two players to their training camp roster. Get the details here.

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Jackson, Bane, Adams

June 6th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Adam Silver will wait until after the NBA Finals to announce Ja Morant‘s punishment for his latest gun-related incident, but the commissioner dropped some hints about the length of a potential suspension during his press conference last week, writes Mark Giannatto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Giannatto examines five statements from Silver to get an idea of what Morant’s suspension might look like. He suggests that the commissioner seemed more disappointed than angry about Morant’s behavior when he talked about creating “better circumstances going forward” for the Grizzlies star.

Silver mentioned the involvement of the players’ union in the process, which Giannatto believes may be encouraging for Morant. He points out that no player has ever been suspended for more than 30 games without being charged with a crime and theorizes that the NBPA won’t let that happen to Morant without putting up a fight.

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Appearing on Paul George‘s podcast, Jaren Jackson Jr. expressed support for Morant and said he’s holding up well amid the likelihood of suspension, relays Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. “He’s good,” Jackson said. “That’s my brother, though. No matter what, I stand by my brother, and I think that’s the lesson everybody should take away from this. … Everybody is going to say whatever, but they’re everybody. It never matters at the end of the day. This is your family. This is your brother.”
The absence of Morant will make this an especially important season for Desmond Bane, Cole adds in a separate story. Bane, who will be on the final year of his rookie contract, will have to assume a larger leadership role on the team and Cole states that he might have All-Star potential. Cole also points to Santi Aldama, Ziaire Williams, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Tyus Jones as players to watch heading into next season.
The Grizzlies never fully recovered after losing Steven Adams to a right knee injury in January, Cole states in another Commercial Appeal piece. The team’s starting center appeared in a career-low 42 games this season and was especially missed in the playoffs when Memphis was outmuscled in a first-round loss to the Lakers. Cole adds that in addition to his rebounding, the Grizzlies also missed Adams’ screen setting and his leadership as the oldest player on the team.

Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr. Commit To Team USA

June 5th, 2023 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram and Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. are the latest players to commit to play for Team USA this summer, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

That brings the total of players who have reportedly committed to Team USA to eight. USA Basketball plans to finalize the 12-man roster later this month.

Team USA will compete for the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.

A quartet of guards — the Timberwolves‘ Anthony Edwards, the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton , the Lakers’ Austin Reaves, and Knicks’ Jalen Brunson — have already pledged to play along with Nets forward Mikal Bridges and Bucks forward Bobby Portis.

Ingram averaged 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in an injury-marred season in which he played just 45 games. Jackson averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 63 regular-season contests en route to being named Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson will provide a much-needed shot blocking presence for the squad, which begins training camp Aug. 3 in Las Vegas.

Another Grizzlies big man, Santi Aldama, is expected to play for Spain in the World Cup.

Team USA will play its first exhibition game Aug. 7 against Puerto Rico and will also make stops in Spain and the United Arab Emirates before its World Cup opener Aug. 26 against New Zealand.

Southwest Notes: Aldama, Morant, Wood, Johnson

October 20th, 2022 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Santi Aldama delivered a big performance in his first NBA start for the Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Filling in for injured Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2021 first round pick supplied 18 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes while guarding the Knicks’ Julius Randle. “It was more about knowing his game, knowing his tendencies and being ready to absorb contact,” Aldama said. “It’s not easy, but I think I did a pretty good job overall.”

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Ja Morant signed a five-year max extension this summer after being named the league’s Most Improved Player. The Grizzlies’ star guard now has the Most Valuable Player in his sights, as he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on the NBA Today show (Twitter link). “MVP for sure,” he said. “I’m not an individual goal guy but that’s … pretty much everyone’s goal in this league.”
The Mavericks’ collapse against Phoenix in their season opener was a downer but Christian Wood‘s performance was uplifting, Tim Cato of The Athletic writes. Acquired from Houston early in the summer, Wood showed he might be Luka Doncic‘s best co-star to date while pumping in 25 points. “It’s just a trust thing,” Wood said. “I have to build my trust on this new team. Once I do that, I’m good.”
The Spurs waived Alize Johnson late in training camp but they still want him in their organization. The G League’s Austin Spurs acquired his returning player rights from Toronto’s affiliate, Raptors 905, in exchange for Jaylen Morris, Ky Bowman and Jarrod Uthoff, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets.

Grizzlies Waive Killian Tillie, Pick Up Options On Three Players

October 15th, 2022 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have officially completed a series of roster moves, setting their roster for the 2022/23 regular season and picking up multiple rookie scale options for ’23/24.

Most notably, Memphis has waived big man Killian Tillie, whose expiring $1,901,625 salary is fully guaranteed. Tillie has spent the last two seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 36 games (12.8 MPG) in 2021/22.

The Grizzlies had 16 players with fully or partially guaranteed contracts, so one of them had to be cut to get to the 15-man regular season limit. Tillie, who will still receive his full salary, was the odd man out, as the club opted to keep Danny Green while he recovers from an ACL tear.

Memphis also waived Dakota Mathias, who was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract earlier in the week for G League purposes. Mathias is expected to report to the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate.

The Grizzlies also announced today that they’ve exercised their 2023/24 team options on Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, and Santi Aldama. All three players will now have guaranteed salaries for ’23/24, with Bane earning $3,845,083, Williams earning $4,810,200, and Aldama making $2,194,200.

The moves had been expected, since Bane, Williams, and Aldama all appear set to play regular rotation roles for Memphis this coming season.

Southwest Notes: Aldama, J. Green, Mavs, Pelicans

October 4th, 2022 at 7:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Santi Aldama, the 30th overall pick in the 2021 draft, has started at power forward for the Grizzlies in both of their preseason games so far and looks like the favorite to occupy that spot when the regular season tips off, with Jaren Jackson Jr. (foot) sidelined, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

As Cole writes, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins pointed to shooting, play-making, defensive versatility, and chemistry with the starters as the four biggest keys for that power forward spot.

Aldama’s shooting and play-making numbers certainly didn’t jump off the page as a rookie, when he made just 6-of-48 threes and had nearly as many turnovers as assists, but the team believes in his ability and he has shown growth in the preseason. The 21-year-old recorded four assists in his first game and made four three-pointers in his second game. He also leads the team in points (34) and rebounds (14) in those two contests.

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Mavericks coaches and players are continually pointing to former first-round pick Josh Green as the player who came to camp in the best shape and improved the most in the offseason, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, who notes that a leap from Green would be huge for a Dallas team that lost Jalen Brunson.
John Hollinger of The Athletic is bearish on the Mavericks‘ chances of matching or exceeding their 52 wins from last season, projecting the team to finish eighth in the West at 46-36.
The Pelicans‘ 2021 offseason looks much better in retrospect than it did at the time, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The Pelicans let Lonzo Ball go and missed out on top target Kyle Lowry in free agency, but with Ball injured and Lowry perhaps losing a step, New Orleans is better off having instead fortified its backcourt by acquiring CJ McCollum at the 2022 deadline, according to Clark. That move wouldn’t have happened if the team had retained Ball or signed Lowry.

Grizzlies Notes: Crowder, Jackson Jr., PF, Clarke, Brooks, Adams, Green

September 26th, 2022 at 3:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies star Ja Morant would like to reunite with former teammate Jae Crowder, who is sitting out training camp as the Suns seek a trade partner for the veteran forward. In reply to Crowder’s tweet about seeking work “where he is wanted..where he is needed,” Morant sent out a “back soon” emoji (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Morant noted that Crowder hit a game-winning three in overtime to help him get his first NBA win.

Crowder didn’t shoot well in 45 games with Memphis in 2019/20, Morant’s rookie season, but he caught fire with Miami after being dealt away. Crowder has spent the past two seasons with Phoenix after signing a three-year, $29MM deal as a free agent in 2020. He’s making $10.2MM in ’22/23, the final season of his contract.

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Starting power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. underwent surgery to repair a right foot stress fracture at the end of June, with the team saying he’d miss four-to-six months at that time. At Monday’s Media Day, executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager Zach Kleiman said that timeline remains accurate. However, Jackson said that while he’s unlikely to suit up for opening night, he believes he’s ahead of the team’s schedule (Twitter links via Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian). Jackson hopes to win Defensive Player of the Year in ’22/23 after coming fifth last season, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I want it badly,” Jackson said.
With Jackson injured, second-year big man Santi Aldama was the first name to pop up as a possible replacement in the starting lineup from both Kleiman and head coach Taylor Jenkins, but Jenkins said that there are a number of other candidates for the role, including Brandon Clarke, Ziaire Williams, Dillon Brooks, Xavier Tillman, David Roddy and Jake LaRavia, so it sounds like there might be a training camp battle for the job, or even fluctuate depending on matchups (Twitter links from Cole).
Speaking about the contract statuses of Clarke, Brooks and Steven Adams, all of whom are extension-eligible, Kleiman didn’t want to go into specifics of negotiations, but he said the Grizzlies like all three players. “We view them as potential long-term pieces of our group,” Kleiman said, per Cole (via Twitter). Clarke would be a restricted free agent in 2023 if he doesn’t receive an extension, while Brooks and Adams would both be unrestricted. In case you missed, we broke down what an extension for Clarke might look like earlier today.
Despite being injured with a torn ACL, it doesn’t sound like veteran wing Danny Green is in danger of being waived anytime soon. “Danny Green is part of this group,” Kleiman said, adding that Memphis expects Green to return in ’22/23. However, his status as a free agent next summer is “to be determined.” (Twitter link via Cole). Green has a nearly $7MM partial guarantee on his $10MM contract this season, so he could be used as a trade chip for salary-matching purposes, but it also makes it expensive to waive him. If the Grizzlies retain Green, Killian Tillie is probably the odd man out, as the team is facing a roster crunch. Tillie will earn a guaranteed $1.9MM this season.