Mavericks forward Santi Aldama, who is making his way back from an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, was assigned to the G League on Tuesday to practice with the Texas Legends as part of his return to play protocol, the team announced (via Twitter).

The G League’s Tip-Off Tournament won’t begin until November 6, but training camps got underway this week, so teams are scrimmaging as they prepare for the season. That provided Aldama with the opportunity to take part in the sort of full practice that he wouldn’t get on Tuesday with the Mavericks, who are coming off a Monday night game and are back in action on Wednesday.

Aldama, acquired from Memphis in a six-team offseason trade, has yet to make his Mavericks debut, but the fact that he’s fully participating in scrimmages suggests that it shouldn’t be much longer until he’s available.

We have more on the Mavs:

• After sitting out on Saturday due to a sprained left shoulder, Cooper Flagg returned to action on Monday and played 40 minutes in a 113-109 road win over Miami. The reigning Rookie of the Year didn’t miss a beat following his brief absence, racking up 29 points, six rebounds, five steals, three blocks, and – perhaps most notably – 11 assists, which matched a career high. Lauding Flagg’s growth as a play-maker, head coach Dusty May predicted he’ll exceed that figure at some point this season, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “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.”
• Referring to a 2025/26 rookie season split between Memphis and Utah as “up and down” and a “learning year,” Mavericks two-way player Walter Clayton said it has been a “seamless transition” to his new team, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal. Clayton, who was recruited by May before committing to the Gators, ended up as college roommates with Dusty’s son (and current Mavericks staffer) Jack May at Florida, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter links). Clayton was one of the standouts in Monday’s win over the Heat, with 15 points, four assists, and a team-high +22 mark in 17 minutes.
• Appearing on the Build or Break podcast (YouTube link), former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said he learned some “hard lessons” based on how things played out after he agreed to sell his controlling stake in the franchise, as Christian Clark of The Athletic relays. As has been well documented, Cuban expected to continue to oversee the team’s basketball operations department, but that didn’t happen after the Dumont and Adelson families took over. “I’m a really trusting partner,” said Cuban, who is now a Mavs minority owner. “If I shake your hand, I mean it. So, yeah, that was a first for me.”