Grizzlies Shouldn't Salary Dump Walter Clayton Jr.

The Memphis Grizzlies are said to be shopping GG Jackson II and Walter Clayton Jr. If they're considering trading the latter, they shouldn't expect much. It might even make more sense to hang onto him.

The latest rumors link Clayton Jr. to the Miami Heat. This got me thinking. First, I wanted to write an article arguing that the Heat don't have enough assets to acquire Clayton.

But if we're being honest, Clayton likely won't cost many assets anyway.

Let's talk about Clayton Jr.

The former first-round pick has one season under his belt. The Utah Jazz surprised fans by trading him to Memphis as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal midway through his rookie season.

Unfortunately, whether Clayton Jr. was in Salt Lake City or Memphis, his maiden NBA voyage wasn't pretty. All told, he averaged 7.8 points and 4.0 assists with a 50.2% true shooting percentage as a rookie.

Nobody is saying Clayton Jr. has no potential. He defended well throughout the year and flashed some impressive passing acumen. Those are valuable skills, but they won't amount to much if Clayton Jr. can't score in the halfcourt, and until he proves he can do that, he won't garner much on the trade market.

So why trade him at all?

Rookies tend to struggle. We've seen awful rookie years from players who went on to have productive careers. No matter how bleak things look, it's not fair to make assumptions about a player's future based on their first season.

Moreover, the Grizzlies need their point guard of the future. Clayton Jr. may not have made a strong case as a rookie, but why not give him another shot? How is that less valuable than flipping him for a future second-round pick — or two at the most?

Clayton Jr. was previously expected to survive the Grizzlies' roster cuts, but his name has now surfaced in trade discussions.

That brings us back to the central point of the piece: Clayton Jr. won't net more than two second-rounders. Even that might be optimistic. Realistically, if Memphis moves him, it's a salary dump.

It would be wiser to flip Jackson II for multiple future assets. The Grizzlies don't require a player at his position; in fact, they have a surplus of wings. He's also flashed enough potential to land them more in return. There's already a case that the Grizzlies may be better off trading GG Jackson II.

Dumping Clayton Jr.'s contract just to clear the books feels like a worse plan than seeing if he can change his fortunes as a sophomore.

Otherwise, they may risk watching him do so in South Beach.