The Memphis Grizzlies kicked off free agency by securing rising power forward Santi Aldama on Monday evening, rewarding him for bringing his versatility off the bench in a rollercoaster season and reimagining their young core.
Grizzlies Re-sign Santi Aldama To Ensure They Stand Tall Against Other Western Conference Teams
As the official start to the NBA’s free agency window began on Monday (June 30), the Memphis Grizzlies wasted no time in re-signing forward Santi Aldama. The news was first reported by NBA senior reporter Shams Charania in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Aldama’s new contract is for three years at $52.5 million. Aldama’s agents, Austin Brown, Steven Heumann, and Max Sadiman of CAA, helped finalize the deal.
Restricted free agent Santi Aldama has agreed to a three-year, $52.5 million deal to return to the Memphis Grizzlies, sources tell ESPN. CAA’s Austin Brown, Steven Heumann and Max Sadiman finalized the deal with the Grizzlies for Aldama, who had a career year last season. pic.twitter.com/Pk7j1HjtXy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
At 7’0″ and 215 pounds, Aldama has proven himself to be a solid addition to the team off the bench since being drafted with the 30th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, initially by the Utah Jazz (who would trade his rights for guard Jared Butler and two draft picks), and ranked number 23 on PFSN’s list of notable free agents NBA teams would have interest in.
The 24-year-old from Las Palmas, Spain, stepped up huge for the Grizzlies last season, averaging a career-high 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds to go with 2.9 assists while appearing in 65 games. Aldama previously played for the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds for two years, making the All-Patriot League in his sophomore year. He played 27 games for Loyola Maryland, averaging 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.70 blocks in that time.
Aldama was a restricted free agent after completing his four-year rookie deal, which was worth $10 million, so Memphis had the right to match any contract offer he would’ve received from other teams. His re-signing sees the Grizzlies reinforce their depth at the forward and center spots after the team reached an agreement with starting power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. on a contract extension of five years at $240 million, and they still have the 7’4″ center Zach Edey coming back for his second season.
Another appealing thing for Memphis’s re-signing of Aldama is seeing how he played under the intensity of the NBA playoffs. In the postseason, which saw the Grizzlies defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in tournament before losing to the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Aldama averaged 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds. His standout game came in the final game of Memphis’ postseason against the Thunder, where he scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and three assists.
