Walter Clayton Jr. Waived by Memphis Grizzlies
Former Florida Gator standout Walter Clayton Jr. was waived Monday by the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies cut the guard loose alongside Micah Peavy to finalize its roster for the regular season by the cutdown deadline. Memphis had 17 players on its roster at the start of Monday, and teams are limited to 15 players on standard contracts per NBA rules.
Clayton was drafted No. 18 in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards before being traded to the Utah Jazz after leading Florida to its third national championship in his senior year that spring.
Clayton averaged 18.3 points per game with the Gators in 2025, while averaging 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. His time at Florida was highlighted by his clutch performances in the NCAA Tournament against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and Auburn in the Final Four.
Against the Red Raiders, Clayton led Florida with 30 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He had three clutch 3-pointers late in the second half alongside two from forward Thomas Haugh to come back from a 10-point deficit. Florida wound up with an 84-79 win to face Auburn.
Against the Tigers, Clayton shot 11 of 18, five of his field goals coming from the perimeter. His 34 points led the Gators to a 79-73 win against the No. 1 overall seed of the tournament.
While he put up 11 points in Florida’s 65-63 win in the national championship against Houston, Clayton was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. He added to his list of accolades which included 2025 SEC Tournament MVP and consensus first-team All American.
In 45 games with Utah, Clayton averaged 6.8 points per game on 39.8% shooting, while also averaging two rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He scored a career-high 20 points and picked up nine assists on Dec. 7, 2025, in a 131-101 loss to the then-reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. He was traded to the Grizzlies on Feb. 3.
In 24 games with Memphis, Clayton averaged 9.7 points per game on 36.6% shooting, including 30.7% from beyond the arc. He also averaged 2.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Clayton matched his career high in points on April 5, with 20 points in a 131-115 loss at Milwaukee. On March 1, he had a career-high 14 assists in Memphis’ 125-106 win on the road against the Indiana Pacers.
Category: Former Gators, Gators Men's Basketball, NBA
