SAN FRANCISCO – The most-talked about date in NBA circles is exactly one month away. The trade deadline takes place on Feb. 6 at 12 p.m. PT, when it will be known how the Warriors’ roster looks for the stretch run. For two Warriors in particular, though, Tuesday is a lesser-known but very important date.
Lindy Waters III and Gui Santos both have been playing on non-guaranteed contracts for the Warriors through the team’s first 35 games. On the same day as the Warriors’ 36th game of the regular season when they welcome the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat to Chase Center, Waters and Santos will know their contractual fate for the rest of the season.
NBA contracts become fully guaranteed on Jan. 10. But teams must make a decision for their books on Jan. 7. Any player who has a non-guaranteed contract will have his deal become fully guaranteed if he’s under contract through Jan. 7 of that league year.
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Sources have told NBC Sports Bay Area that Waters and Santos will have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the season, and the choice was obvious for numerous reasons.
Waters, 27, has been a prominent part of coach Steve Kerr’s rotation in his first Warriors season after the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him to Golden State for the No. 52 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Warriors later reacquired the pick and selected center Quinten Post out of Boston College, who is on a two-way contract. Waters will make a little under $2.2 million this season.
After playing a total of 104 games for the Thunder and averaging 12.3 minutes per game, Waters has appeared in 28 of the Warriors’ 35 games this season, including eight starts, and has played 17.9 minutes per game. He’s averaging 5.9 points per game, but the shooting guard’s shot has been a bit up and down. Waters made 47.1 percent of his threes in five games in October, but then shot just 31.1 percent from 3-point range in November and 26.3 percent in December.
In the Warriors’ first three games of 2025, Waters has gone 7 of 13 on 3-pointers. Waters’ game also is about more than just draining threes in Kerr’s eyes.
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“He’s had that since camp,” Kerr said Sunday. “He’s got a really good knack for making plays off the dribble as a secondary playmaker. He sees the floor really well. The ball moves quickly when he’s out there. He always makes the right pass, the right play.
“He’s a good defender, too. Lindy is much more than just a shooter, and he’s showing that.”
Waters told NBC Sports Bay Area he didn’t even know about the Jan. 7 date for his contract.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I do, which is come in and work and put my head down and enjoy every single second of it,” Waters said. “Let God take care of the rest.”
About a month ago, Waters changed agents. He used to be represented by Aaron Turner of Verus Management Team, the same agent as Jonathan Kuminga, but now is part of Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Management. Waters shared how comfortable he is working with Klutch, emphasizing their ways of showing care for the person even more so than a basketball player and dollar figures.
That same trait is what has made Waters feel so welcomed by the Warriors. All he knew before the Bay Area was Oklahoma, where he grew up and also played collegiately at Oklahoma State. Acknowledging the Thunder’s decision making obviously has panned out, as they are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference at 30-5, the Warriors’ know-how as champions has been felt since Waters first arrived.
“Just growing into my own person,” Waters said. “I know how I’ve developed over the past couple years in the NBA, specifically role wise, but now being here, it’s just about being my own person. Really, off the court – not letting the external things kind of dictate who or what I’m going to be every single day.
“They’re amazing. They take care of you human-wise first out here.”
Santos, 22, will be paid just under $1.9 million this season, and has a $2.2 million team option next season. Replacing Santos with a non-drafted player would give the Warriors hard-cap problems and a higher tax hit than they want right now with where they are at the first apron. For tax reasons and developmental plans, keeping Santos is the clear choice.
The 2022 second-round draft pick only has played 11 NBA games for a total of 59 minutes this season. His time has been limited, but Kerr is a big fan of how Santos sees and plays the game.
“I love Gui,” Kerr said Dec. 10 in Houston. “He’s a guy who really fits how we play with passing and cutting. He just hasn’t had a chance because we have so many other guys. Every time he goes to Santa Cruz, he plays well. He’ll get his chance at some point this year, like he did last year when he helped us win a few games.
“I’ll be excited for Gui when that opportunity comes. It just hasn’t come yet.”
This past summer, Santos played for Brazil’s national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He started against Kerr and Team USA, scoring seven points in 20 minutes, with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Santos played six games for the Santa Cruz Warriors in November’s G League Tip-Off Tournament and averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
The depth the Warriors have wouldn’t call for any player holding the 14th roster spot to receive ample playing time, so using it on a cheap player whose growth Golden State believes in makes the most sense.