What the Jazz Trading Collin Sexton Means for Walter Clayton Jr.
The Utah Jazz have a bright future ahead of them in their backcourt. Utah selected uber-talented Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick and traded up to get former Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18.
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With these incoming rookies, the Jazz traded guard Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets for 12-year NBA veteran center Jusuf Nurkic on Sunday, first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
With the departure of Sexton, who started 112 games for the Jazz over the past two years while averaging over 18 points per contest, this opens up the door for Bailey, and possibly Clayton, to enter the starting five right away.
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. dribbles the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the men's Final Four.Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Utah will almost certainly begin the season with Bailey as a starter, but the question is will Clayton get the starting nod on opening night?
It is clear the Jazz are very high on the national champion Clayton. Utah traded up three spots from 21st to 18th on draft night to select him two picks before the Miami Heat were on the clock. Before the draft, there were reports that Miami would select Clayton if he were available at No. 20.
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Clayton is coming off an incredible senior year at Florida, earning first-team All-America honors, the only UF player to achieve this distinction in program history. He averaged over 18 points with three made 3-pointers per game en route to a national title with the Gators.
With Clayton and Bailey set to make their NBA Summer League debuts in the next two weeks, it will be very interesting to see where they end up come late October.
Related: Florida Projected to have Second Straight Big NBA Draft in 2026
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
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