Philadelphia 76ers team president Daryl Morey is known for his creative team-building and embrace of analytics tools. But his true talent may lie in ducking the luxury tax.
Morey and the Sixers traded 21-year-old guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday for draft picks, getting the team below the tax line ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. It’s an unexpected money-saving move for a team that’s fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Jared McCain has huge potential for the Thunder
McCain was one of the best rookies in the NBA last season before a meniscus tear ended his season. He averaged 15.3 points in 25.7 minutes per game, shooting 46 percent from the field and 38.3 percent on three-pointers. The season was so impressive that McCain finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year vote despite playing only 23 games.
This year, the No. 16 pick from the 2024 draft missed the start of the season after tearing a ligament in his thumb. He fell behind 2025 No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe in the Sixers rotation, as well as Quentin Grimes. Still, McCain looks like an elite shooter, going 19-of-39 on three-pointers since the beginning of 2026.
That wasn’t enough for the Sixers not to choose tax relief over a young guard with huge potential. Dealing McCain brought the Sixers a Houston Rockets first-rounder in 2026 and three other second-round picks, where they have an outside chance of getting a player as good as McCain.