Why 76ers traded Jared McCain to Thunder, and what they got in return

Jared McCain looks right at home with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And while McCain is playing a key sharpshooter role off the bench for OKC, the Philadelphia 76ers are sitting at home watching the playoffs after being eliminated in the Eastern Conference semis.

The 76ers traded McCain to the Thunder, and it already hasn't aged well.

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Why did the 76ers trade Jared McCain to the Thunder?

It's as if the 76ers forgot McCain's potential.

As a rookie with the 76ers, McCain was leading the Rookie of the Year race with a potent start to his NBA career out of Duke before he went down with a season-ending injury.

By the time McCain made it back to the court this season following an additional injury, he had fallen out of the rotation.

Philly occasionally made an effort to incorporate him, but at other points, the 76ers pretty much let McCain just rot on the bench. They somehow discounted what he had already done for them, and the level he had already proven to be able to reach in the NBA.

Instead, they traded from what they must've viewed as a surplus to acquire future assets.

What did the 76ers get in the Jared McCain trade?

The 76ers received one first-round pick and three second-round picks.

The first-rounder is the Houston Rockets' first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which will be in the late-20s.

The second rounds are a 2027 that is the most favorable of Oklahoma City/Houston/Indiana/Miami, as well as the second-rounders belonging to OKC and Milwaukee.

If the 76ers nail that 2026 first-round pick, maybe this looks better, but given that they got McCain with the No. 16 overall pick in 2024, it doesn't look great.

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