Former Florida basketball All-American guard Walter Clayton is on the move in his rookie NBA season.
Clayton is set to be traded from the Utah Jazz to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a eight-player deal centered around Grizzlies All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Sr., according to a report from ESPN.com’s Shams Charania.
Clayton, swingman Kyle Anderson, forward Taylor Hendricks, forward Georges Niang, and three future first-round picks are going from the Jazz to the Grizzlies for Jackson, guard John Konchar, center Jock Landale and guard Vince Williams Jr.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Clayton was acquired by the Jazz after being selected in the first round (18th overall) by the Washington Wizards in the 2025 NBA Draft. But Clayton was unable to establish himself as a starter with the Jazz during his rookie season. In 45 games, all off the bench, Clayton averaged 6.8 points and 3.2 assists, shooting 39.8% from the floor and 30.2% from 3-point range.
As a senior for the Florida Gators in 2024-25, Clayton helped lead UF to its third national title in school history, delivering several clutch shots during the NCAA Tournament to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player Honors and West Region most Outstanding Player honors. Clayton became the first college player since Larry Bird in 1979 to post back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four, scoring 30 points in UF’s 84-79 come-from-behind win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and 34 points in UF’s 79-73 win over Auburn in the Final Four.
Overall, Clayton scored 1,346 points and drained 210 3-pointers in two seasons at UF after transferring from Iona. In March of 2025, Clayton was selected as the school’s first first-team All-American in history.
The Gainesville Sun recently ranked Clayton as the second-best UF basketball player over the last 25 years, behind only forward/center Al Horford.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Former Florida basketball All-American Walter Clayton Jr. being traded
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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