Dallas Added a Guard. The Center Problem Didn't Move.

The Mavericks claimed Walter Clayton Jr. off waivers Wednesday and signed him to a two-way contract, adding a former 2025 first-round pick to the guard depth behind Kyrie Irving. It's a sensible enough move — Marcus Sasser is third on the guard depth chart, and Clayton gives Dusty May another option to develop on the two-way slot without occupying a standard roster spot.

What it doesn't do is touch the position that's been the persistent concern since training camp opened. Moussa Cisse is the only center logging meaningful minutes, and he's been producing well below what you'd expect from a starting-caliber big. There's no viable backup behind him. That was true in September when I wrote about the Lively situation, it was true Monday when Dallas waived Powell, and it's still true now.

The opening-night loss in Houston — 128-110 — is one game, and reading too much into it would be a mistake. But the roster shape heading into the early schedule is what it is: guard depth just got a small addition, and the front line remains thin by count and thin by production.