Santi Aldama Probable For Dallas Mavericks Debut Against Jazz; Max Christie Also Nears Return
DALLAS — Santi Aldama is listed as probable for Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz, putting the forward in line to make his Dallas Mavericks debut after missing the first eight games of the season. Max Christie is also probable with right hip soreness and tightness after sitting out Wednesday’s 112-111 loss at the San Antonio Spurs.
Three Mavericks are out. Tarik Biberović is still dealing with right heel bursitis, Sergio De Larrea has a right knee sprain, and Dereck Lively II remains out after right foot surgery. Utah had not filed its injury report when Dallas released its own.
Santi Aldama Nears Dallas Mavericks Debut
Aldama’s last game came Feb. 4 with the Memphis Grizzlies. On March 17, he had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee and an orthobiologic injection, and the surgery ended his season. He averaged career highs of 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists across 43 games for Memphis last season, 11 of them starts.
Dallas got Aldama from Memphis as part of a six-team trade on July 8. He didn’t play in any of the four preseason games. On Oct. 27, the Mavericks sent him to practice with the Texas Legends as part of his return-to-play protocol and recalled him the same day. He was questionable on Tuesday’s report for the San Antonio game before Dallas moved him to doubtful Wednesday afternoon and then ruled him out.
Mavericks coach Dusty May has addressed Aldama’s status at each of Dallas’ last three pregame availabilities. The most recent came before Wednesday’s game in San Antonio.
“Very, very close for Santi,” May said.
Aldama missed a sixth straight game on Oct. 30, when Dallas beat the Houston Rockets 116-111 at home. Before tip-off that night, May named Aldama and Lively as the two players the Mavericks were still waiting on.
“Santi’s very close. He’s practiced with the Legends a couple times. He played in our stay-ready game. He looks to be very close,” May explained before that game.
Monday’s injury report moved Aldama from out to doubtful before a 115-100 home loss to the Sacramento Kings. He did not play.
“Santi … he’s moving closer and closer,” May said before that game. “I think for him, it’s coming very soon.”
Max Christie Probable, Three Mavericks Ruled Out
Christie left Monday’s loss to Sacramento in the second quarter with the hip injury and was ruled out Wednesday. Without its starting guard in San Antonio, Dallas started Zaccharie Risacher alongside Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford, and Risacher scored 2 points in 18:03.
De Larrea, a rookie guard, sprained his right knee in the second quarter of Dallas’ Oct. 26 win at the Miami Heat. He has missed four straight games since, and Friday will be his fifth. May said Oct. 30 that De Larrea would be re-evaluated this week. The 20-year-old scored 21 points in the Oct. 24 loss to San Antonio.
Biberović, a 25-year-old rookie forward, appeared in three preseason games before right heel bursitis kept him off the floor, and he has missed all eight regular-season games. May watched him warm up Wednesday in San Antonio.
“Tarik, I’m not sure the exact timeline, but I was watching on the television from the back him warm up, and he’s moving well. He looks good,” May said.
“He had been battling this nagging injury and trying to manage it and play and manage and play,” May continued. “We basically are just trying to make sure we get him back where he can play extensive periods without being in and out of the lineup and find some consistency. So it’d be nice to have him back soon as well.”
Lively hasn’t played yet this season. He had right foot surgery last December after appearing in only seven games in 2025-26. It was his second operation on that foot in about five months, following a July 2025 procedure to clean out bone spurs.
Utah comes to American Airlines Center at 1-7. The Jazz have lost six in a row, the latest a 120-113 loss Wednesday in New Orleans. Dallas has dropped two straight and sits at 4-4 going into Friday’s NBA Cup group-play game, which tips off at 7 p.m. CT.
