Will the OKC Thunder Pick Up Lindy Waters III's Option?

Oklahoma City has an important offseason ahead of it, including tough decisions about the players already on the roster.

The Thunder have an abundance of choices to make over the next few months, beginning with the NBA Draft on June 26. A few days later, free agency and the new league year will begin. In between the draft and free agency, teams will have to make some of the most important decisions of the offseason by deciding whether to pick up team options.

The deadline for teams to pick up those options is June 29, and the Thunder will have three to decide on this offseason. Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins will almost certainly be on the team next season, their options will depend on whether the team wants to offer them long-term contracts.

However, the third team option belongs to Lindy Waters III, whose future is much more uncertain. With the Thunder likely adding more talent through the draft, roster spots will become tougher to come by.

Waters was in a similar situation last season, and the Thunder went an unconventional route. In 2023, the Thunder declined Waters’ option before bringing him back on a two-way contract and giving him a standard deal during the season.

However, with another season of NBA experience, Waters might be a more attractive free agent to teams in need of cheap talent. Teams like the Phoenix Suns will need minimum contracts to fill around their stars, particularly under the new CBA, which could make Waters’ potential free agency more contested than before.

The case for picking up Waters’ option is simple. Throughout the past three seasons, he has become consistently more reliable on both ends and has the trust of Mark Daigneault. In the 2023-24 season, Waters averaged career lows in minutes and usage, but he shot 43.5% from 3-point range in 36 games. Waters has also been a staple of the OKC Blue throughout the past three seasons and helped them win the G League Championship this season.

Although the Thunder have many things to consider this offseason, declining Waters’ option to have more flexibility and an extra roster spot could be the direction Sam Presti takes again this offseason.

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