Warriors acquire SG Lindy Waters III in minor trade with Thunder

Warriors acquire SG Lindy Waters III in minor trade with Thunder

The Golden State Warriors have made a trade prior to Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft. According to a report by Shams Charania, the Dubs have acquired wing Lindy Waters III from the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 52nd overall pick. The Warriors are now not slated to make any selections in this year’s draft, though they can still acquire a pick in the second round, which begins today at 1:00 p.m. PT.

While the Warriors have had a lot of success drafting in the second round of recent drafts, the move gives them a much more experienced depth piece. Waters spent four years at Oklahoma State and is entering his fourth NBA season. He has appeared in 104 games with the Thunder. While he has never had a massive role with the team, he has averaged 5.3 points on .416/.377/.815 shooting in 12.3 minutes per game over his career. In the G-League, where Waters has had a much larger role, he has been one of the most potent outside threats, making 41.4% of his career threes at that level.

Given the growing sentiment that the Warriors will lose Klay Thompson in free agency and could be trading some combination of Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody, it makes sense for the front office to try and add some extra wing depth to prepare for those potential departures.

Waters only has one year remaining on his current contract, but is scheduled to make the league minimum (just under $2.2 million). While Waters’ contract is not-guaranteed, and the Warriors can opt-out of the deal before Saturday, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reports that the Warriors will be keeping the young guard, and view him as a depth piece for the upcoming season.