Shams: Mavs sign Walter Clayton Jr. to two-way deal

Initially questionable for Friday’s game, Marshall is on track to return after a two-game absence. Marcus Sasser (22 minutes), Walter Clayton Jr. (15 minutes), and Caleb Martin (14 minutes) all played rotation minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Thunder. Their playing time may decrease if Marshall is cleared to play.

This will be a second straight absence for de Larrea, who exited early from Monday’s win over Miami. Walter Clayton Jr. and Marcus Sasser should continue to be the guard options off the bench behind Kyrie Irving.

Marshall has missed the Mavs’ last two games with an illness and is in danger of missing a third. In that scenario, Marcus Sasser, Walter Clayton Jr. and Caleb Martin would all continue to take on a few extra minutes off the bench.

Marshall is now expected to miss a second straight game with this illness, which opened the door for Sergio de Larrea to take on extra minutes prior to his exit with a knee sprain and for Walter Clayton Jr. to play a role after that. Clayton should be able to play a few extra minutes off the bench with Marshall likely out.

De Larrea sprained his right knee during Monday’s win over the Heat and did not return. Walter Clayton Jr. played 17 minutes against Miami and was productive; that may earn him rotation minutes again on Wednesday.

Sergio de Larrea had been playing well off the bench for Dallas, but he exited early from this game with a knee injury. Instead of Marcus Sasser stepping up, Clayton ended up seeing a bump in minutes and took full advantage. If de Larrea remains out against the Thunder on Wednesday, Clayton could end up filling out the backup point guard minutes.

As expected, Irving will not suit up for the Mavericks contest against the Spurs on a second leg of a back-to-back. Marcus Sasser will get the start at point guard.

Irving was initially listed as questionable but is now expected to miss Saturday’s game. It’s the second leg of a back-to-back, and Cooper Flagg (shoulder) is sidelined, so they apparently don’t want to put too much on Irving’s knee. Marcus Sasser should get the start at point guard, with Walter Clayton Jr. taking on a larger role off the bench.

Clayton signed a two-way contract today with the Dallas Mavericks and will be available to play. Given that he’s on a two-way, its unlikely that he impacts many fantasy leagues early on in the year.

The 18th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Clayton was traded from Utah to Memphis as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal in February. Even with the Grizzlies’ point guard rotation in flux due to injuries and a desire to trade Ja Morant, Clayton couldn’t carve out a consistent role in Memphis. Earlier Monday, the Grizzlies reportedly hoped to trade WCJ, but they couldn’t make a deal happen. As for Peavy, the Grizzlies acquired him from the Pelicans in the summer along with Jordan Hawkins, who was waived earlier in the preseason.