On June 27th, 2024, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded guard-forward Lindy Waters III to the Golden State Warriors for the draft rights of Quinten Post.
It only made sense for Lindy Waters III to sign a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022. A 24-year old guard at the time, Waters attended high school in Norman, Oklahoma before playing college ball at Oklahoma State.
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Waters played in The Basketball League (TBL). He then joined the Thunder's NBA G-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue, after a successful tryout in 2021.
A citizen of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation, Waters made an impact with the Blue as a perimeter shooter. He played in 16 regular season G-League games with the Blue, compiling 11.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.8 SPG in 26.3 MPG.
During the latter stages of the 2021-22 NBA season, Waters signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City. The club was in the midst of a rebuild with a 17-37 record when Waters was signed. Oklahoma City went 7-21 the rest of the year to finish 24-58. Waters appeared in 25 games (one start), producing 8.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 APG and 0.8 SPG in 18.6 MPG.
Armed with several first round picks in the 2022 draft, the Thunder added center Chet Holmgren with the second overall pick and wing Jalen Williams with the 12th overall selection.
Waters joined the Thunder for Summer League in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. In five contests, he managed 5.6 PPG on 36.4% shooting in 13.8 MPG.
Waters stayed with the Thunder for the 2022-23 season. He split time with the Thunder and the Blue of the G-League. In 13 games with the Blue, Waters put up 16.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.7 SPG in 34.1 MPG.
In February, Waters had his two-way contract converted to a standard NBA deal. He signed for two years and $3.8 million with a team option for the 2023-24 season.
Holmgren missed the entire season due to a right foot injury suffered in the summer. However, with the presence of star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the emergence of young players like Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey, the Thunder were much improved. The team was just 11-18 after 29 games, but went 25-18 over the next 43 games to reach 36-36. Oklahoma City finished the regular season 40-42, putting the team in tenth in the West.
Waters had a limited role due to the Thunder's deep roster of wings. He even played some power forward to find time on the floor. In 41 appearances with Oklahoma City, Waters managed 5.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 0.7 APG in 13.0 MPG.
The Thunder qualified for the play-in tournament as the tenth seed and would need two road wins to make the playoffs. Oklahoma City played the ninth seed New Orleans Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half as the Thunder held on for a 123-118 win.
Oklahoma City moved on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves for the eighth seed. Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Wolves held Oklahoma City to 36% shooting in a 120-95 rout. Waters scored five points in 16 minutes in the elimination game.
In the 2023 offseason, the Thunder declined the team option for Waters' contract. Soon after, the club signed Waters again to another two-way contract.
With Holmgren returning from his foot injury and the addition of lottery pick Cason Wallace, the Thunder were ready to continue an ascent to the playoffs.
It was clear early on in the 2023-24 season that the Thunder were one of the best teams in the NBA. The club got off to an 11-4 start and was 27-11 after 38 games. The winning continued as the Thunder finished as the first seed in the West with a 57-25 record, the team's best record in 10 years.
Waters had a small role in his third season with the Thunder. The wing played in 38 games and managed 3.6 PPG, 1.1 RPG and 0.6 APG in 7.4 MPG. He also appeared in 10 games with the G-League's Blue, producing 21.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 2.6 APG in 32.4 MPG. When the Thunder freed up a roster spot at the trade deadline, they converted Waters' two-way contract to a two-year deal with a team option in the last year.
After the strong season, the Thunder faced the 49-33 New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round. Pelicans star Zion Williamson was out after suffering a left hamstring injury during New Orleans' play-in game.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and the go-ahead bucket in the series opener as the Thunder won 94-92. Game Two wasn't close as the Thunder took a 2-0 lead with a 124-92 rout. The third game was similar as Oklahoma City won 106-85. The Thunder closed a 4-0 sweep with a 97-89 victory in Game Four.
Oklahoma City went on to the second round where the team faced the Dallas Mavericks. In the series opener, the Thunder won comfortably, 117-95. Game Two saw Mavericks star Luka Dončić and forward P.J. Washington combine for 58 points in a 119-110 Mavericks win.
The third game in Dallas was close as well. Washington had 27 points, and Dončić and Kyrie Irving teamed up with 44 points in a 105-101 Dallas win. The Thunder tied the series 2-2 after Gilgeous-Alexander put up 34 points as Oklahoma City made a second half run in a 100-96 victory.
Game Five was in Oklahoma City and Dončić was fabulous with a 31-point, 10-rebound and 11-assist triple double in a 104-92 Mavericks win. The sixth game saw the Thunder take a 17-point lead in the third quarter. Oklahoma City held a nine-point advantage in the fourth quarter but Dallas stormed back.
With 20 seconds left, Thunder center Chet Holmgren had a dunk to give the Thunder a 116-115 lead. However, Washington was fouled by Gilgeous-Alexander on a three-point attempt. Oklahoma City challenged the fouled but was unsuccessful, taking away all their timeouts.
Washington made the first two free-throws and missed the final attempt intentionally. The Thunder rebounded the ball and Jalen Williams missed a desperation attempt, giving the Mavericks the series. Waters played in three games with Oklahoma City during the club's 2024 playoff run and was scoreless in nine minutes.
After the season, Waters had his team option for the 2024-25 season exercised and he was traded to the Warriors. Waters ended his three-year run in Oklahoma City with a stat line of 5.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 0.7 APG in 103 appearances. The wing shot 42% from the field, 38% from the three-point line and 81% from the free-throw line.
The draft pick the Warriors sent to Oklahoma City would change hands one more time. The Thunder sent the 52nd draft pick with cash considerations to the Portland Trail Blazers for the 40th pick (Oso Ighodaro). The Blazers traded the pick swiftly back to the Warriors for cash considerations.
Officially, the trade was recorded as the Warriors drafting three-point shooting seven-foot center Quinten Post with the pick. Then the two trades with Oklahoma City and Portland happened for Post to land back in Golden State.
After the trade, Waters joined the Warriors as a depth option on the wing. He impressed in preseason, averaging 8.7 PPG on 44% from the three-point line. This included a game-winning three in Hawaii against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Waters began the year with limited playing time with the Warriors. But he soon started to see some minutes. When he did play initially, Waters shot well (38.5% in his first 15 games). However, Waters' shooting fell off massively (30.2% from three over his next 23 games) and he lost his spot in the rotation.
Golden State got off to a strong 12-3 start in the first 15 games of the regular season. However, the club went 3-12 over the next 15 to fall to 15-15. The offense was an issue as the Warriors were 25-25 when they made a shake up at the trade deadline. The club was involved in a five-team deal that brought in Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
In the same deal, the Warriors sent Waters along with guard Dennis Schröder to the Detroit Pistons. Waters appeared in 38 games (nine starts) and posted 5.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.6 SPG in 17.2 MPG.
Lindy Waters III on how he found out about the trade (via Golden State Warriors):
"I was on a family vacation in Mexico, just hanging out with them by the pool. I understood the situation leading up for months so I wasn't really surprised but it took me a little bit of time to process. It's my first time going through something like this. I'm thankful that I have my family with me."
On joining the Warriors:
"I grew up watching the Warriors and their style of basketball, and it excites me. I'm more than excited to be here."
If he knew he was going to be traded:
"Being around the league for the last three years. Seeing guys situations and how the business works, sometimes good things come to an end and doors open up so whether I stuck around in OKC for another year or two, I was ready for whatever opportunity."
On his role:
"I'm here to shoot the three and play defense and do whatever the team needs me to do. Whatever coach Kerr asked me to do I'm going put my head down and work for it."
On if Stephen Curry has reached out and if he's learned anything from watching Curry play:
"He hasn't reached out yet, but that's okay. I'll see him soon and give him a hard time about that. Just the way that he approaches every single day and tries to challenge himself and it doesn't matter how many threes he hits he's going to come in the next day and work just as hard as if he'd never hit a three. That's something that's inspiring to me and I can't wait to be around that every day."
Mike Dunleavy Jr. on acquiring Lindy Waters III and ending up getting back the 52nd pick the team traded to acquire Waters (via NBC Sports Bay Area):
"[We] had an opportunity to acquire a player in Lindy that we've liked for a long time. We think he fits a skill set that we look for, size, shooting, does some stuff on the court just more than shooting. [He] can play both ends, good cutter, and plays the style we want to play.
"There in Oklahoma City, [he] didn't play a ton but we felt versus the 52nd pick, this is a player that we feel would be better than 52. From that point, we decided all right now we're out of the second round and thus, out of the whole draft and decided that we wanted to get back in because there were some players we liked.
"Lo and behold, 52 was available and we really liked it again and so we got back in so it's a bit odd but there was no original plan to make it all work together but eventually it did and [we] ended up making that pick with Quentin [Post]."
How Waters has been someone the Warriors have been watching:
"He's a guy that we always identified as a guy that if ever — you know especially on a team with OKC who has so much depth — he were able to shake free on the open market or via trade...
"[He's] kind of a buy-low guy and I think with our pick this year, it was something that worked for [OKC] and worked for us. Looking at his production in the G-League and then some of the games that he was able to play in at the NBA level we felt like while him still being a young age, this is the right guy to bet on at this point and that was the thought process going into that."
On if Waters will make the rotation:
"Absolutely, yeah. I don't think we would have traded for a guy using a draft pick if we didn't think that. Again, with his skill set and the way he plays, I think it fits how we play so we feel like he's a guy you can plug and play and like everybody else, if he performs well and does the things that are asked of him, I think we have a good chance of finding a player that's going to work well for us."
