Utah Jazz trade up three places to take Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18

Walter Clayton Jr. was taken by the Utah Jazz at No. 18 after a trade with Washington (UAA Photo)

Think of Walter Clayton Jr.’s first night in the NBA sort of like getting on a plane and flying somewhere. Chances are you’ll be changing planes in Atlanta.

In the case of Clayton, one of the players invited to wait for his NBA call in the green room at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, there was a brief stop in Washington before the final destination of Utah. With the 18th pick in the NBA Draft, Clayton was selected by the Washington Wizards, who immediately traded him to the Utah Jazz.

To get Clayton, the Jazz essentially moved up three places. To complete the trade, the Jazz selected Illinois small forward Will Riley at No. 21, dealing him to Washington along with two second round picks. It was an emotional moment when NBA commissioner announced the trade and the selection of Clayton, who led the Florida Gators to the NCAA championship back in April. Clayton buried his tear-streaked face in his hands before rising from his chair to hug his mother Cherie Foster, attending the draft along with his year-and-a-half daughter Leilani and other family members.

"I knew it was a possibility," Clayton told KSL TV/Radio in Salt Lake City. "We had some conversations after I got drafted tonight. They like my skill set. They think I can bring something great for the team."

Utah was one of the teams that was prominent for Clayton in mock drafts before the Wednesday night extravaganza. Two mock drafts had Clayton going to Utah at No. 21, but Miami at No. 20 and Orlando at No. 25 were the expected destinations. Clayton never worked out for the Jazz leading up to Wednesday, but then again, neither did small forward Ace Bailey of Rutgers, who was taken No. 5 by Utah.

“Two weeks ago, we sat down and looked at our picks and said what would be the best case scenario and these were the two guys that we really wanted, so we feel very fortunate and very excited to have them in the family,” Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge told the Deseret News in Salt Lake City.

The draft was just the latest whistlestop in a journey that began for Clayton in Lake Wales. A highly regarded 4-star football prospect who had offers from Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Clemson among others, Clayton transferred from Lake Wales to Bartow to play basketball after his sophomore year. Despite leading Bartow to back-to-back state championships in basketball, Clayton was a no-star recruit. He defied conventional wisdom by saying no to football to play college basketball. His offer sheet was Jacksonville and East Carolina before Rick Pitino and Iona made what could be called a COVID offer. Amid the pandemic and its restrictions, Clayton never visited Iona but he did accept the offer.

Clayton spent two years at Iona, making the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) all-freshman team before winning the league’s player of the year award for the 2022-23 season. Immediately after Clayton’s sophomore season, Pitino accepted the St. John’s job. Clayton went into the transfer portal and then pulled off a mild surprise by accepting an offer from Florida rather than follow Pitino to St. John’s.

At Florida, Clayton was an All-SEC performer as a junior but as a senior he was a consensus first team All-American who led the Gators on a 12-game winning streak at the end of the year that culminated with the NCAA championship. Clayton won the most outstanding player award at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, the West Regional in San Francisco and the Final Four in San Antonio.

 While leading the Gators to the 2025 national championship, Clayton averaged 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He shot 38.6 percent from the 3-point line, where he became synonymous for clutch shots during Florida’s 6-0 run to the national championship. Clayton set a UF single season scoring record with 713 points. His 134 points were the most by any player in the NCAA Tournament. His 1,346 points in two seasons rank 24th all-time on Florida’s scoring list.

Speaking on NBA TV prior to the draft, Florida coach Todd Golden said, “It starts with his character – he’s just an amazing young man. Incredibly coachable, a guy that wants to be a leader and a great work ethic, and obviously over the last year I’d argue he was the best player in college basketball. He led us to 36 wins and a national championship, best player on the floor in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, a guy that just has a great competitive nature about him.”

At Utah, Clayton and Bailey join the team that posted the worst record (17-65) in the NBA last season. The Jazz have productive big guys in Lauri Markannan (19 points, 5.9 rebounds), John Collins (19 points, 8.2 rebounds) and Walker Kessler (11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds). Former Alabama star Collin Sexton (18.4 points) and Keyonte George (16.8 points) were the starting backcourt last season.

Obviously, Bailey and Clayton were not brought to Utah to sit although they will have to earn their playing time to supplant veterans in the starting lineup. Jazz coach Will Hardy runs a system that emphasizes the 3-point shot off screen and pick and roll actions. The offense seems like a good fit for Clayton, who thrived in Golden’s offense. During the NCAA Tournament run, Clayton was a lethal 3-point shooter who led comebacks against UConn in the second round, Texas Tech in the Elite Eight in San Francisco and Auburn in the semifinals in San Antonio.

In the NCAA championship win over Houston, Clayton scored all 11 of his points in the final eight minutes when the Gators erased a deficit to beat the Cougars, 65-63. Ironically, it wasn’t a 3-pointer from Clayton that provided the final drama in the title game, but a defensive play when he forced Emanuel Sharp to turn the ball over with three seconds remaining.