The Grizzlies are trying to trade second-year guard Walter Clayton Jr. ahead of Monday’s 4:00 pm CT deadline to set their regular season roster, league sources tell Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter links).

According to Stein and Fischer, the Kings have emerged as a possible suitor for Clayton. Sacramento is reportedly contemplating adding a guard to its roster in the wake of Ben Simmons’ torn Achilles tendon.

Fischer reported on Thursday that the Grizzlies were exploring trade scenarios involving Clayton, who was selected 18th overall in the 2025 draft after leading Florida to an NCAA championship earlier that year. The 23-year-old earned numerous accolades as a senior with the Gators, including Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament and first-team All-America honors from several outlets.

Clayton’s rookie NBA season was pretty uneven. The Jazz traded up to acquire him in the draft, but traded him to Memphis as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. blockbuster in February. At the time, Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman singled out Clayton as a player the team liked and could envision as part of its young core; apparently things have changed in the intervening months.

In 69 combined appearances last season with Utah and Memphis, Clayton averaged 7.8 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .384/.307/.901.

Memphis is facing a roster crunch, with 17 players on the team’s standard roster. That number needs to be down to 15 ahead of today’s deadline.

Fischer hears the Kings have also called the Bucks about Kevin Porter Jr., another guard who he previously cited as potentially being available (Twitter link). Milwaukee’s roster currently stands at 16 players on standard deals, so trading Porter without receiving a player back in return would theoretically set the Bucks’ roster for the regular season.