The Oklahoma City Thunder have shuffled through a number of players in their path to building one of the most formidable rosters in the NBA.
Many of these players have found success at their new homes, showcasing the pure amount of talent the Thunder have amassed during their rebuild. Others, however, have fizzled out rather quickly.
For Lindy Waters III, that painful reality could be quickly approaching.
After entering the league as a two-way player in 2022, Waters played three seasons with Oklahoma City. Across 104 games, he averaged 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists while shooting 37.7% from 3-point range. He started just one game in that span.
Now, as he attempts to crack the San Antonio Spurs' rotation, Waters could soon be on his way out of the NBA.
Lindy Waters III hasn't yet found his footing in San Antonio
Although Waters came into the league undrafted, he presented the 3-and-D skill-set of a potentially valuable role player. Even on a backcourt-heavy team in 2021-22, he carved out a solid rotational role for the Thunder, earning 18.6 minutes per game in his stint at the NBA level and averaging eight points.
Since that time, however, he has not made the same impact. The Thunder later traded him to the Golden State Warriors in a convoluted deal that ultimately netted them Ajay Mitchell.
Waters, after a brief stint with the Warriors, was then dealt to the Detroit Pistons in the even more convoluted deal for Jimmy Butler. He signed in San Antonio as a free agent this past offseason.
Yet he has failed to truly find his footing as a Spur. He's averaging the fewest minutes of his career at just 6.8, and his production reflects that. Across 22 appearances, he's averaging 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists, and he's shooting 34.2% from beyond the arc.
He hasn't played a single minute in the G-League since 2023-24.
He fits the archetype that San Antonio typically likes to grant minutes to, but he's found almost no playing time behind Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper.
The Spurs have also proved themselves to be in the conversation as championship contenders this season. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, there could be a consolidation deal on the horizon for them to bring in another starting-level player.
Waters, on a one-year, $2.3 million contract, would be an easy choice to add as a salary sweetener, just as he was in the deal for Butler.
If this proves to be the case, Waters could find himself on his fourth team in two seasons. His NBA career could be in serious risk: a far cry from the initial promise he showed in Oklahoma City.