Lindy Waters III Explains New Role With Spurs After Warriors, Thunder Tenures

The former OKC Thunder and Golden State Warriors guard talked about joining the retooled San Antonio Spurs this upcoming season

Jan 9, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (43) dribbles against Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II (00) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Lindy Waters III has been an underrated name in the NBA for the last few years. After starting his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020, he made his way to Golden State, then Detroit. Now, he'll look to find his home after signing with the San Antonio Spurs for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season.

Free agent guard Lindy Waters III is signing a one-year deal with the Spurs, his agents at Klutch Sports confirmed to ESPN. Across four NBA seasons with the Thunder, Warriors, and Pistons, Waters has averaged 5.6 points in roughly 14 minutes per game while shooting 37% from… pic.twitter.com/kNTNE5Z5wP

— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) July 23, 2025

What Waters provides in his skill set is a tall, lengthy defender who can also run the wings and shoot the three-ball.

During the 2023-24 season with the Thunder, Waters shot 43.5% from beyond the arc. While he doesn't put up a ton of stats (averaged 4.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1 assist per game last season), he's there to play his role with defense and outside shooting.

How Waters III Feels About San Antonio

During training camp for the Spurs, Waters talked about his time with those organizations. "I think it gives me a little bit of experience (playing with organizations like Golden State and Oklahoma City), knowing what to do and what not to do. So any chance I can help, on the court or off the court, I'll do that."

The Spurs will need that same version of Waters that shot 43.5% from the three, especially with their need for outside shooting around their stars. With teammates like Victor Wembanyama clogging up the paint or De'Aaron Fox running off the 3-point line, the opportunities will be there for Waters to get open looks.

"I think I bring a shooting gravity to the table," mentioned Waters. "I can space the floor, I play hard, and I'll do whatever it takes for the team to win."

How His Teammates Perceive Him

Lindy Waters III shooting 3s off screens: https://t.co/LlmKB5swCT pic.twitter.com/whi8EOyJpQ

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) July 27, 2025

Harrison Barnes is a 13-year NBA veteran who also spent some time with Golden State, similar to Waters. Now with the Spurs, he understands what kind of player Waters can be for them.

"(Luke), Kelly, Lindy,” Barnes said about veteran experience on the roster. “Just having guys from different teams, different experiences come in and share with the group…what they’ve seen, things that work for them, things that haven’t. It’s been a really good mix of guys coming in to offer different perspectives.”

As he settles into his new team, being accepted by the others will make for some really great chemistry. While the Spurs still have plenty of young pieces, this is a roster that's ready to compete for the postseason and bring playoff basketball back to San Antonio for the first time since 2019.