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Washington Wizards select Walter Clayton Jr. in 2025 NBA Draft, trade to Utah Jazz

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp06/26/25
Walter-Clayton-Jr-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) celebrates defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. (Kyle Terada-Imagn Images)

Former Florida point guard and national champion Walter Clayton Jr. has been selected by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft and is being traded to the Utah Jazz, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. That comes after a tremendous college career.

Clayton initially began his career at Iona, where he spent two seasons before transferring to Florida. By the time Clayton was done with the Gators, he had become the program’s first ever first-team All-American.

The talented shooting guard with range to spare did it all for Florida. During his senior season, Walter Clayton averaged 18.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

He shot 38.6% from 3-point range and 87.5% from the charity stripe. All that added up to him becoming one of the nation’s best scorers.

At 6 foot 3, there are some concerns about his height at the next level. However, Walter Clayton proved pretty definitively that he can handle playing point guard, doing so at a national championship level for the Gators.

Before he landed at Iona, Walter Clayton was not ranked by the On3 Industry Rankings. He was rated by only one service, receiving four-star status and a 94 grade from On3.

Walter Clayton was the No. 22 overall player in the class by On3. He was also the No. 3 combo guard in the class.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Walter Clayton Jr.

On3’s James Fletcher provided an evaluation of Clayton ahead of the NBA Draft. Like most analysts, he saw what Clayton did during his senior year as critically import to his draft stock.

“Walter Clayton was the late-riser and classic March Madness star who sees a big boost on draft boards, but it was no fluke,” Fletcher wrote. “The run highlighted the heights of his game, which brings big-time offensive value through 3-point shooting and shot creation. Proving he could stick at point guard was as valuable as anything he showed, finding teammates when needed in big games.”

That is something Clayton will hope to continue at the next level. Now that he’s been drafted, he knows exactly where he can get started.