The Philadelphia 76ers have traded guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports had details on the three second-round picks the Sixers acquired in addition to the 2026 first-round pick from the Houston Rockets.
The 76ers selected McCain, a former Duke star, with the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
McCain was impressive during his rookie season, averaging 15.3 points on 46.0 percent shooting (38.3 percent from three), 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 23 games (eight starts). McCain suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in December 2024, ending his first season.
McCain rehabbed and appeared ready to go for the 2025-26 season opener. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn UCL in his right thumb and missed the first couple weeks of the season.
For the year, McCain has averaged 6.6 points on 38.5 percent shooting, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 37 games (one start). He’s averaged 16.8 minutes per game.
Granted, McCain has not fared as well on the court in year two, but he’s just 62 games into his NBA career and won’t turn 22 until Feb. 20. He has a lot of potential as shown in his rookie year, so the question is why the 76ers would make this move.
John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia tried to provide an answer.
Meanwhile, the rich get richer in Oklahoma City. The defending NBA champions sport an NBA-best 40-11 record and don’t look like they are slowing down any time soon. Acquiring McCain certainly helps OKC’s cause as the team looks to add pieces to help become a perennial championship contender.