Yahoo! NBA Draft expert Kevin O'Connor posted his NBA Mock Draft 3.0 on Friday, his first mock draft since Wednesday's deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft.
Despite a slew of talented players, including Florida's Alex Condon, returning to the NCAA ranks, Walter Clayton moved down three spots since O'Connor's previous mock.
Where did Florida Gator guard Walter Clayton Jr. fall to?
O'Connor's preliminary mock draft had Clayton going 29th to the Phoenix Suns, and he noted that Clayton's stock could improve greatly if the national champion point guard showed well at the NBA Combine. O'Connor's 2.0 mock draft, which came shortly after the combine, had Clayton moving up to 27th overall, where the Brooklyn Nets selected him as the team's fourth first-round pick.
Clayton's trajectory reversed in O'Connor's NBA Mock Draft 3.0, sliding to the Los Angeles Clippers with the 30th, and final, pick of the first round. The downward shift occurred despite Yaxel Lendenborg (No. 24 in mock 2.0) and several guards right behind Clayton (No. 30 Tahaad Pettiford and No. 32 Labaron Philon) withdrawing.
The Clippers fit the bill of a team that could use Clayton's services. Their core of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac make them contenders with minimal operating room in free agency. Pair that with the team's lack of ball-handlers and playmakers behind James Harden, and there's a clear path for Clayton to contribute immediately.
Clayton can provide the Clippers with an offensive boost off the bench that they missed during the 2025 playoffs. In the three competitive games of their seven-game series against the Nuggets, Harden, Kris Dunn, and Bogdan Bogdanovic were the only guards to see the floor. Clayton's playmaking and flamethrower scoring capabilities are something Dunn and Bogdanovic can not match.
While the fit makes plenty of sense, one question must be asked: who jumped Clayton?
Four players surpassed Clayton in O'Connor's mock draft. Thomas Sorber, a high-upside center from Georgetown moved from 28th to 26th. Seven-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton moved up from 31 to 29, giving the Suns some much-needed rim protection. Adou Theiro of Arkansas made a massive leap, rising from 43 to 28.
The most interesting change, however, was Ben Saraf going from 29 to 27. Saraf is a 6-foot-5 guard from Europe who is a bit rough around the edges but has excellent skill for his size. Saraf is the only player listed as a guard who passed Clayton.