Lindy Waters III’s next stop takes him far from Oklahoma, and it comes with a new career low attached.
The former Thunder forward has officially signed with the Beijing Ducks of China, a move that comes after an underwhelming season with the San Antonio Spurs and no NBA team stepping in for the 2026-27 campaign. For a player who once looked like a steady perimeter piece in OKC, it’s a sharp turn.
Waters went undrafted in 2020 before signing with the Thunder and spending most of the next three years in a role player spot for the franchise. But the production never really climbed from there. He has not matched his rookie mark of 8.0 points per game, and last season with San Antonio he appeared in only 40 games while averaging 2.4 points on 37.5 percent shooting.
Those numbers left him on the outside looking in when NBA teams made their decisions for next season.
It is not unheard of for former NBA players to work their way back after time in China. Michael Beasley, J.R.
Smith, and Jimmer Fredette all returned after spending at least a year overseas. But Waters’ path looks more difficult than most.
The OSU alumnus has already been given a long runway by NBA standards. Five years is a generous stretch for an undrafted player trying to carve out a permanent spot. And with only two seasons above 40.0 percent shooting from the floor, the case for another opportunity has gotten thinner.
The source of the issue is pretty clear: Waters has not built the kind of resume that usually leads to a comeback. The players who managed those overseas returns carried more proven value before they left, and Waters simply hasn’t stacked up the same way.
Still, he remains a name Oklahoma fans won’t forget anytime soon. A Norman native who played at Oklahoma State, Waters logged two double-digit scoring seasons before earning a two-way roster spot with the Thunder in 2022. He also promotes Native American youth involvement in sports.
For now, though, his career will continue out of the spotlight as he tries to make his way back to the NBA. Thunder fans may hope this isn’t the end of the story, but nothing is certain.
In Other News...
Thunder Have One Emergency Option They Hope This Season Never Forces
The Thunders roster looks full enough that one of their most useful tools may wind up sitting untouched. After the Lu Dort trade, Oklahoma City created a $17.7 million traded player exception, a potentially valuable bit of cap flexibility that gives the front office a way to absorb salary if the right opportunity comes along. For now, though, the organization appears to be planning around depth rather than a midseason fix, which says plenty about where the roster stands entering the year.
Christoph Tillys recent Exhibit-10 deal for training camp is another small clue about how the Thunder are thinking. Instead of reserving that final spot for an emergency addition tied to the exception, Oklahoma City may give a young prospect a look and trust its current group to handle the season. The exception remains there if injury changes the equation, but for a team that likes its depth, the hope is simple: it never has to become part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Just Reopened A Raw Thunder Fan Wound
Kevin Durant and Thunder fans have never exactly settled into a warm reunion, and a new social-media flare-up has only kept that old tension alive. A screenshot circulating online appears to show a profanity-laced exchange between Durant and an Oklahoma City fan, adding another chapter to the often prickly relationship that has followed his 2016 departure and every fresh reminder of how emotional that split still is for plenty of people in the city.
The post spread quickly and drew a wave of reaction from NBA fans, which is hardly surprising given Durants long history of online controversies and his tendency to become part of the conversation whenever his name hits social media. Even so, the bigger issue here is not just the tone of the exchange, but the uncertainty around it, because the image has been passed around widely while the underlying question of what actually happened still hangs in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans May Not Love Where The Chet Debate Is Heading
The Thunders long-term roster picture has gotten complicated enough that even a player as central to the franchise as Chet Holmgren is part of the financial conversation now. Oklahoma City is already navigating the pressures of the second apron, and Holmgrens value on the defensive end is obvious, but his uneven offense in last years playoffs gave the team a reminder that every big-money decision has to be weighed carefully.
Holmgren still looks like a foundational piece for the Thunders future, yet the center room gives the front office more options than it had before. With Isaiah Hartenstein, Aday Mara, Jaylin Williams and Thomas Sorber all in the mix, Oklahoma City has enough depth at the position to at least consider how it wants to balance talent, fit and cost going forward. [Read more 🡒]