Feb. 6, 2026, 10:05 a.m. CT
The Oklahoma City Thunder went with the buy-low move at this year’s NBA trade deadline. They added Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the Houston Rockets‘ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks.
It was a legitimate question whether the Thunder would make a deal at the deadline. With the same roster that brought them an NBA championship last season, they decided to bring in the 21-year-old with the hopes he can be part of the long-term rotation.
Get to know McCain and what he brings to the Thunder:
McCain’s career thus far
The Sixers added McCain with the No. 16 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He had quite the hot start to his career. He won the first batch of Rookie of the Month awards in October/November. He’d constantly drop 30-plus points on a team that badly needed a scorer.
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McCain’s rookie season was cut short with a torn meniscus in December. He had surgery this past October to repair torn thumb ligaments. Since then, he’s been on the outside of Philadelphia’s rotation as VJ Edgecombe has surpassed him in importance.
McCain has averaged 10 points on 42.6% shooting, 2.2 rebounds and two assists. He’s shot 38.1% from 3 on 4.2 attempts. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard is just 21 years old.
McCain on offense
This is McCain’s bread and butter. Since he came out of Duke, everybody knew his scoring would pave an NBA career. He showed that early on. The outside shooting was his best feature. He had a quick release with a deep range that’s Curry-esque. He doesn’t need much time to let it fly from the perimeter. He should be a perfect partner for Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams in their second-unit DHO actions.
McCain has also shown he can get to the rim. He’s a relentless driver despite his size. That was especially the case before his meniscus tear. Since then, though, the burst hasn’t been the same. He’s still trying to recapture that magic from a knee injury that usually takes a while to recover from.
The Thunder are desperate for another on-ball scorer. McCain fits that. Maybe not this season, but long-term. He’s worth the flyer. Best-case scenario, he’s another guy who can spell some of the on-ball creation duties that guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell typically burden.
McCain on defense
This is where OKC will be put to the test. To be blunt, McCain is a pretty poor defender. Even his biggest fans will admit that. He’s an undersized guard who will get picked on by the opposing teams. Expect the opponents to constantly put him in actions with the hopes of getting a one-on-one look.
There’s some incremental room to grow. McCain can sharpen his defensive tools. He can make reads faster. He’s averaged 0.6 steals, so there’s some groundwork there to work with. Maybe he can be a slightly below-average defender, but that’s really his ceiling considering his physical profile.
The Thunder have leaned on that side of the ball for their NBA dominance. They won a Larry O’Brien trophy by being one of the greatest defenses ever. They hope to do the same this year. Mark Daigneault will have his work cut out for him to make sure McCain isn’t the obvious weak link. Considering how the roster is filled with high-end defenders, they should be able to hide him.