Cherokee Nation citizen Lindy Waters III, a former guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been traded to the Golden State Warriors for pick 52 in the 2024 NBA Draft. Shams Charania reported the trade on June 26, signaling Waters’ move to California.
Waters began his career at Oklahoma State University before joining the Oklahoma City Blue in October 2021. He signed a two-way contract with the Thunder in February 2022, which was later converted to a multi-year standard contract in February 2023. Despite being signed to a two-way contract in August 2023, Waters returned to the regular roster in February 2024.
During his time with the Blue, Waters played a key role in helping the team win its first G League title this season. In the championship game against the Maine Celtics, he scored 15 points, had 11 rebounds, and two steals, securing the victory in a winner-take-all match.
Waters rejoined the Thunder roster for the NBA Playoffs, where the team made it to the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Throughout his NBA career, Waters has played 104 games over three seasons, averaging 5.3 points per game. He is known for his shooting prowess, with a 37.7% success rate from three-point range and 81.5% from the free throw line.
Off the court, Waters’ commitment to social justice earned him recognition as one of the five finalists for the 2023-24 NBA Social Justice Champion award.