Santi Aldama remains day-to-day on the Friday, Oct. 9 injury report with a knee and leg issue, after a reporter said he was limited in Saturday's practice. His status for the Mavericks' game against the Rockets is unresolved, with an expected return date of Oct. 11.
What happened
The Mavericks listed Santi Aldama as day-to-day on the Friday, Oct. 9, 8:04 a.m. ET injury report, with a knee and leg issue. His status is unchanged from the previous report, which also had him day-to-day. Noah Weber of TheSmokingCuban.com reported that Aldama, listed with an undisclosed issue, was limited during Saturday's practice. No further diagnosis has been announced beyond the knee and leg designation on the official report. The report lists an expected return date of Oct. 11, but a final call on Friday's game against the Rockets has not been made.
What it means for the Mavericks
Dallas opens its season Friday at 8 a.m. ET against Houston on NBA TV. If Aldama sits, the Mavericks can lean on the frontcourt group that played without him before: Anthony Davis (31.3 minutes, 20.4 points), P.J. Washington (31.0 minutes, 14.2 points) and Daniel Gafford (21.7 minutes, 9.5 points), alongside Cooper Flagg (33.5 minutes, 21.0 points) and Naji Marshall (29.5 minutes, 15.2 points). Last season Aldama averaged 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27.9 minutes across 43 games. Dallas has not played a regular-season game yet in 2026-27, so there is no record with or without him this year.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Aldama's knee and leg issue has eased enough for him to play Friday against the Rockets. The report lists an expected return of Oct. 11 if he is held out. No further games beyond the Rockets matchup are detailed here, so his outlook past Friday is not yet announced.
Is Santi Aldama playing vs Rockets?
He is day-to-day with a knee and leg issue on the Friday, Oct. 9 injury report, and his availability against the Rockets has not been confirmed. Noah Weber of TheSmokingCuban.com reported he was limited in Saturday's practice.
When will Santi Aldama be back?
The injury report lists an expected return date of Oct. 11, 2026. No further timeline has been announced.