17:03: Clayton’s two-way deal with Dallas is official, team reported in the press release.
4:30 p.m: Walter Clayton agreed to a bilateral contract with MavericksESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The mutual interest between Clayton and Maus, Mark Stein said Tuesday.
Clayton was placed on waivers on Monday Grizzlies despite his $4.19 million guaranteed salary. Several other teams, including Sacramento, Miami and Golden State, have been linked with the 2025 first-round pick.
With a full 15-man roster, the Mavericks didn’t have a standard roster spot for Clayton. Dallas opened up a two-way slot nearby Jett Howard and Toby Laval by sharply John Pullakidas on Saturday.
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.
The combo guard could press for minutes at the point in the back Kyrie Irvinghowever Cooper Flagg often used as a forward point. Marcus Sasser and Sergio de Laurea other options from the bench.