The Mavericks are considered the favorites to sign the guards Walter Clayton if and when he achieves free will, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Link to Twitter).
Clayton fell victim to a roster deficit in Memphis and was placed on waivers on Monday when the Grizzlies cut their standard roster from 17 to 15 players. Several teams, including Sacramento, Miami and Golden State, have been linked with the 2025 first-round pick, and Stein confirms that The necklaces remains interested in Clayton, but suggests it’s “clear” he’ll likely end up in Dallas.
The Mavericks had a lineup of their own to sort out on Monday, and eventually refusal a long-time man in the front area Dwight Powellwhose minimum-salary contract was only partially guaranteed at $1 million. With a full 15-man roster and no other obvious release candidates, they probably don’t have a standard roster spot for Clayton.
However, Clayton is eligible to sign a two-way contract and Dallas has an open two-way slot Jett Howard and Toby Laval after sharply John Pullakidas on Saturday. Stein reported earlier what Seth Lundy was one of the candidates the Maws were seriously considering to fill that spot, but it looks 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 grab 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 an eight-player trade that received Jaren Jackson Jr in Utah.
Clayton averaged 7.8 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per night over 69 games with the Jazz and Grizzlies last season, posting a slash line of .384/.307/.901.
Clayton will have to be waived on Wednesday before he becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with a new team. Any club that files a waiver claim must be willing to assume his $4.19 million guaranteed salary for the 2026-27 season.
