Santi Aldama's Knees Strike Again: Mavericks Forward Doubtful for Wednesday

Death, taxes, and Santi Aldama popping up on a midweek injury report. According to Underdog NBA, the stretch forward is officially listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game with yet another knee issue.

If you feel like you have read this exact update before, your brain is working perfectly. Aldama has a medical rap sheet that reads like a WebMD doom scroll, racking up nearly 20 different injury designations and over 160 missed days in his young career.

The knees have been the main culprit. He already went through right knee surgery earlier in 2026, and that followed a string of bruised, sore, and generally uncooperative joints over the last few seasons.

It is a brutal cycle for the Dallas Mavericks, because the 23-year-old is a legitimate problem for opposing defenses when he actually stays on the floor. You are talking about a guy who can easily give you 14 points and eight boards while knocking down nearly 40 percent of his looks from deep.

But potential does not cash tickets or win fantasy matchups. For prop bettors and fantasy managers, "doubtful" in the modern NBA is just a polite way of saying a player is already picking out his bench outfit.

You simply cannot trust his availability right now. Until Aldama proves his lower body can handle the grind of a regular rotation, any wager involving his minutes is a massive gamble.

Look for Dallas to shuffle their frontcourt rotation to cover his absence on Wednesday. As for Aldama, the waiting game continues to see if he can finally string together a healthy month of basketball.