The busiest part of the NBA offseason is over, but free agency is still wide open for business. The Trail Blazers can, and should, still be searching for ways to get better on the open market using their one open roster spot.
One guy who Portland should target is Lindy Waters III, a veteran wing who would give them a boost in an area they need one in: shooting.
Lindy Waters III would be a nice depth piece for the Blazers
Waters just wrapped up his fifth season in the NBA. He played 40 games for the San Antonio Spurs in 2025-26, averaging 2.4 points in 7.1 minutes while shooting 34.2% from three. For his career, the majority of which he spent with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he’s averaged 4.6 points and shot 36.3% from deep.
Obviously, those aren’t impressive figures, and that’s putting it nicely. But we have to look beyond the counting stats here. There’s a reason why Waters has stuck around for five years in a league where undrafted guys like himself get incredibly short leashes: he’s a pro-level shooter.
Waters’ ability as a movement sniper is the key that opens doors for him. It’s why OKC picked him up from the G League in 2022, kept him around for three seasons, and eventually converted him from a two-way to a standard deal. It’s why he had a mini-breakout with the Golden State Warriors in 2024. It’s why the Spurs had interest in him in free agency last year.
It’s also why the Blazers should give him a look.
Waters could be a margins win for Portland
The talking point has been hammered home by countless people, but it remains true that Portland needs more shooting. They addressed the hole a bit with the Branden Carlson and Micah Potter signings, but those two aren’t the solution. Plus, you can’t ever have too many marksmen.
Lindy Waters isn’t the solution alone, but he’d help. He’s more dynamic than Carlson and Potter, who are more reliant on open spot-ups. Waters could play on the wing alongside Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan, offering quality spacing for those stars.
At this point in free agency, no team besides the one that ultimately lands LeBron James will be hitting a home run with any signing. But, small moves on the margins matter too for teams trying to get better.
Waters probably wouldn’t be a full-time rotation guy for the Blazers, but that’s fine. He’s a defined commodity who fits a team need. It’s tough to get more than that out of your 15th roster spot.
Add us as a preferred source on Google