Thunder trade Lindy Waters III to Warriors, select Ajay Mitchell at No. 38
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) -- Ahead of the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made a move to acquire a pick in the round.
According to multiple reports, Oklahoma City has acquired the 52nd pick in the draft from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Lindy Waters III.
A native Oklahoman, Waters III grew up in Norman, OK before attending Oklahoma State to play college basketball. After going undrafted, Waters III played semi-pro basketball in the state before the Oklahoma City Blue signed him to a contract. Eventually Waters III signed a two-way deal with the Thunder, and ultimately signed a multi-year professional contract with the franchise.
Waters III made his mark in the league as a three-point marksman, converting on 38% of his three's over 104 career games played for the Thunder.
The former Cowboy joins one the Warriors, who have been known for their three-point shooting prowess ever since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson came into the league.
Oklahoma City ended up with pick No. 52 after the trade, but didn't stay put there. Instead the Thunder continued to move up the board with a couple different trades, eventually landing at pick No. 38 and selecting UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell.
From Sam Presti's comments after the first round of the draft on Wednesday, the Thunder value ball handling, playmaking, and good size for the position.
Mitchell stands around 6'4" and does a lot of similar things to OKC's other two draft picks, Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones. Mitchell is a do it all playmaker, averaging 20 points per game, 4 assists per game, and 4 rebounds per game during his junior season with the Gauchos. Originally from Belgium, Mitchell topped 30 points four times as a junior.
The final haul by the Thunder in the 2024 NBA Draft is Nikola Topic (12), Dillon Jones (26), and Ajay Mitchell (38).