The San Antonio Spurs didn’t sign guard Lindy Waters III to a new contract this offseason.
After five seasons in the NBA, Waters is officially taking his talents overseas. He signed with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, as first reported by Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
“Former Warriors and Spurs wing Lindy Waters III is leaving the NBA to join the Beijing Ducks in the CBA,” Siegel wrote.
Waters will join fellow former NBA player JaKarr Sampson in Beijing.
The Ducks finished fourth in the CBA standings last season at 29-13. They reached the semifinals of the playoffs, but they lost to eventual champions Shanghai Sharks.
Lindy Waters III’s NBA Career
After four seasons at Oklahoma State, Lindy Waters III went undrafted in 2020. He played for the Enid Outlaws of The Basketball League in his first year as a pro before getting signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Waters spent the first three seasons of his career with the Thunder, splitting his time between the NBA and the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League.
In three years with the Thunder, Waters averaged 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 104 games.
The Golden State Warriors signed Waters in the summer of 2024, appearing in 38 games and starting in nine. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
Waters was traded to the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2024-25 season as part of the five-team Jimmy Butler trade.
In 14 games for the Pistons, Waters put up 3.4 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.
The San Antonio Spurs signed him last summer, suiting up for 40 games. He primarily came off the bench, averaging 2.4 points in just 7.1 minutes per game.
Waters also played nine postseason games as the Spurs made it to the 2026 NBA Finals. He averaged 1.7 points per game in 3.8 minutes.
Spurs This Offseason
Fresh off coming up short in the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t make a lot of changes this offseason.
Their biggest move was re-signing Victor Wembanyama to a five-year, $252 million extension. They also gave Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie and Jordan McLaughlin new contracts.
In free agency, the Spurs added veteran forward Tobias Harris on a two-year deal. Harris is expected to challenge Champagnie for the starting power forward slot.
The position was tipped as the position of need this summer, and the Spurs front office quickly made a move.
As for the draft, the Spurs selected Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. in the first round and Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Maliq Brown in the second round.
Lindy Waters III left the NBA, while Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee are still free agents.
Former San Antonio Spurs Guard Officially Leaves NBA to Play Overseas