The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Walter Clayton Jr. to a two-way contract, adding the 2025 first-round pick ahead of their 2026-27 NBA season opener against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the agreement.

Clayton was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2025 NBA Draft before his draft rights were traded to the Utah Jazz. He split his rookie campaign between Utah and the Memphis Grizzlies after being traded to Memphis on February 3 as part of the eight-player deal involving Jaren Jackson Jr. The 23-year-old averaged 7.8 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 69 games.

Clayton appeared in 45 games with the Jazz, averaging 6.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game. After joining the Grizzlies, he played 24 games, including six starts, and recorded 9.7 points, 5.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 25.0 minutes.

His best scoring performance with Memphis came on April 5, when he produced 20 points in a 131-115 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Across the season, Clayton shot 38.4% from the field, 30.7% from three-point range and 90.1% from the free-throw line.

The Grizzlies waived Clayton on Monday as they finalized their roster for the regular season. He subsequently became available to other NBA teams after clearing waivers.

Article Continues Below

Clayton's arrival fills Dallas' final two-way roster spot. The Mavericks already had Jett Howard and Tobi Lawal occupying the other two positions. Dallas had opened the vacancy by waiving John Poulakidas on Saturday.

The Mavericks open their new campaign on Wednesday night against the Rockets in Houston, with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. ET.