Grizzlies shop Walter Clayton Jr. on deadline day, with the Kings a possible buyer

The Memphis Grizzlies are trying to trade second-year guard Walter Clayton Jr. before Monday’s roster deadline, and the Sacramento Kings have surfaced as a possible landing spot, according to a report from Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line on Monday, October 19.

No deal has been agreed. The report puts a name on one side of a squeeze that Memphis has been facing all week: the club is carrying 17 players on standard contracts and has until 5 p.m. ET to get down to 15.

Why Memphis has to move

Sixteen of those 17 contracts are guaranteed. The one exception belongs to Jaylen Wells, who is in no danger a year after finishing as a Rookie of the Year finalist. That means the Grizzlies must trade or waive two guaranteed salaries, and every player they release without a trade stays on their books for the season.

Fischer first reported on Thursday that Memphis was exploring deals involving Clayton and GG Jackson II. Micah Peavy and Kris Murray have also been named as candidates to go. A trade lets the Grizzlies clear a roster spot without paying a player to leave, which is why they have preferred to shop before cutting.

Why Sacramento fits

The Kings lost Ben Simmons for the season to a torn right Achilles over the weekend and have been looking at guards since. According to the same report, they have also called the Milwaukee Bucks, who must shed a player of their own, about Kevin Porter Jr.

Money is the limit. Sacramento has one of its 15 standard spots open but sits only about $2.9 million below the luxury tax line, according to reports, so the size of any salary it takes in will shape what it is willing to give back. The Kings can also apply for a disabled player exception tied to Simmons, though it would be worth only about $1.75 million.

What Clayton would bring

Clayton, 23, was the 18th pick in the 2025 draft after leading Florida to a national championship and taking the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award. Utah sent him to Memphis in February as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. Across 69 games for the two clubs as a rookie, he averaged 7.8 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 20.4 minutes, shooting 38.4 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from three and 90.1 percent at the line.

What comes next

If Memphis cannot find a trade by 5 p.m. ET, it has to waive two players. The Grizzlies open at home against Jackson and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, October 21, at 8 p.m. ET (Game Center), the same night the Kings visit the LA Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET (Game Center).