Grizzlies waive former Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. before NBA roster deadline

Walter Clayton Jr. appeared to have a bright future in the NBA after leading Florida to the 2025-26 NCAA men's basketball national championship as a senior.

However, the former Gators star hit a speed bump in his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies waiving the 6-foor-4 guard on Monday along with forward Micah Peavy, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

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During his final season in Gainesville, Clayton averaged 18.3 points and 5.7 assists per game, and shot 39% on 303 3-point attempts.

As the Gators made their run to a national title, the 6-foot-4 guard earned consensus All-American honors and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after averaging 22.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in Florida’s six NCAA tournament games.

Yahoo Sports’ NBA Draft analyst Kevin O’Connor ranked Clayton as the 20th best prospect on his 2025 big board, calling him “a fearless shooter” while acknowledging that his shortcomings on defense prevented him from being viewed as a top play.

Perhaps hinting at a bumpy NBA future, Clayton bounced among three teams during his first pro season. The Washington Wizards selected him No. 18 overall, but traded him on draft night to the Utah Jazz for a package including Will Riley, Jamir Watkins, 2031 and 2032 second-round picks and a 2032 second-round pick swap.

Clayton played 45 games for the Jazz, averaging 6.8 points and 3.2 assists with 31% 3-point shooting before being traded to the Grizzlies with three other players and three first-round picks for Jaren Jackson Jr. and three additional players.

With Memphis, Clayton scored 9.7 points per game, dishing out 5.7 assists and shooting 31% on 3-pointers. But the Grizzlies were dealing with a roster crunch, needing to trim down to 15 players before Monday’s deadline.

Memphis reportedly attempted to trade Clayton and the Sacramento Kings were among the teams apparently interested. But no deal could be worked out before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET roster deadline, possibly because Clayton was owed $4.2 million this season on his rookie-scale contract.

Other teams that showed interest in Clayton during the 2025 draft were the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat, according to NBA reporter Jake Fischer.