The Mavericks are considered the frontrunners to sign guard Walter Clayton if and when he reaches free agency, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Clayton became a casualty of a roster crunch in Memphis and was placed on waivers on Monday as the Grizzlies trimmed their standard roster from 17 to 15 players. Multiple teams, including Sacramento, Miami, and Golden State, have been linked to the 2025 first-round pick, and Stein reaffirms that the Kings remain interested in Clayton but suggests it’s “understood” that he’ll likely end up in Dallas.
The Mavericks had their own roster crunch to sort out on Monday and ended up waiving longtime frontcourt stalwart Dwight Powell, whose minimum-salary contract was only partially guaranteed for $1MM. With a full 15-man squad and no other obvious release candidates, they likely don’t have a standard spot available for Clayton.
Clayton is eligible to sign a two-way contract though, and Dallas has an open two-way slot alongside Jett Howard and Tobi Lawal after cutting John Poulakidas on Saturday. Stein previously reported that Seth Lundy was one candidate the Mavs were seriously considering to fill that opening, but it sounds like Clayton has overtaken him as the favorite.
A former Florida star who helped lead the Gators to a national championship as a senior in 2024/25, Clayton was selected 18th overall in the 2025 draft, with the Jazz giving up three second-round picks in a trade with Washington to move up from No. 21 to No. 18 to nab him. However, the 23-year-old struggled to make an impact at the NBA level as a rookie and was eventually sent to Memphis in the eight-player trade that landed Jaren Jackson Jr. in Utah.
Clayton averaged 7.8 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per night over the course of 69 total outings for the Jazz and Grizzlies last season, posting a shooting line of .384/.307/.901.
Clayton will have to go unclaimed on waivers on Wednesday before he becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with a new team. Any club placing a waiver claim would have to be willing to take on his $4.19MM guaranteed salary for the 2026/27 season.
