The Memphis Grizzlies added more draft capital to their retooling effort Wednesday by trading forward Santi Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks for AJ Johnson, a 2030 first-round pick and a pair of future second-round picks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania.
The first-round pick is via the Golden State Warriors and is top-20 protected, sources said.
The Mavericks will also receive the draft rights of Tarik Biberovic, a 2023 second-round pick of the Grizzlies who hasn't yet played in the NBA and currently competes in EuroLeague and the Turkish Basketball Super League.
Aldama, 25, has played his entire NBA career with the Grizzlies. A first-round pick in 2021, he averaged a career-high 14 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season while connecting on 35% from 3 on 4.7 attempts per game. The 7-foot forward signed a new deal last summer with the Grizzlies, and his contract spans the next two years with a $17 million team option for the 2027-28 season.
A versatile scorer, Aldama played in 278 games with 82 starts in Memphis, and he increased his scoring average in each of his five seasons with the club.
When the Grizzlies traded star guard Ja Morant on Monday, Aldama briefly held the designation as the longest-tenured player on the roster.
Johnson, meanwhile, played 23 games last season for Dallas, averaging 3.9 points and 1.1 assists. The 21-year old was the 23rd pick of the 2024 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
