The Golden State Warriors have been given a huge opportunity to fulfill their pre-draft interest in Walter Clayton Jr., with the former first-round pick now available after being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Clayton has fallen victim to a roster crunch at the Grizzlies on the eve of the season. Memphis were unable to find a trade for the former 18th overall pick, leaving them to waive Clayton and former New Orleans Pelicans wing Micah Peavy.
Walter Clayton Jr. now within Warriors' reach after Grizzlies exit
The Warriors liked Clayton during the pre-draft process only last year, and there were murmurs of them trading back into the first round after giving up their selection (20th overall) to the Miami Heat as part of the Jimmy Butler trade.
Less than 18 months after potentially looking to use a future first-round pick to acquire Clayton, Golden State could theoretically get him for free and on a two-way contract now that he's become available on the eve of the season.
It's rare for a player taken in the top 20 to become available like this before the start of his second season, with Clayton having initially signed a four-year, $19.3 million contract with the Utah Jazz -- albeit only the first two seasons were guaranteed.
That means there'll surely be plenty of interest in Clayton from teams around the league, though he may have to settle for a two-way contract just like another former first-round pick, Jordan Hawkins, had to after also being moved on by the Grizzlies at the start of the month.
The Warriors liked Clayton in last year's draft but that was not an impressive rookie season.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) October 19, 2026
Plus they've already got 15 contracts on the books--including Clayton's Florida teammate Will Richard. https://t.co/AJ7FTueCbu
Warriors should show immediete interest in Walter Clayton Jr.
Golden State don't have an open roster spot to sign Clayton to a standard contract, having confirmed that Brandon Williams will be on the team -- and in the rotation -- for Wednesday's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Williams signed a completely non-guaranteed minimum contract as a free agent in August.
The Warriors can, however, still show interest in Clayton and offer a two-way contract. He'd have more upside as a guard than LJ Cryer, or could replace Malevy Leons if Golden State wanted to keep both young guards. Either way, it should absolutely be explored and is certainly possible given they showed pre-draft interest only last year. There's also a connection there that could aid the Warriors' chances, having been a championship teammate with Will Richard at Florida.
Clayton averaged 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists during his rookie year with the Jazz and Grizzlies, having been part of February's mid-season trade that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah.
Add us as a preferred source on Google