The Philadelphia 76ers will not get a lot of assenting voices with respect to their bold decision to trade Jared McCain before the deadline. It is common knowledge at this juncture that Daryl Morey and his cohorts made a grave error in making this deal, especially since their alleged intention behind the move has yet to be realized.
And in doing so, the 76ers have basically distorted the postseason picture. Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champs, have an even better chance to defend their title. After all, McCain hasquickly proven to be a splendid addition to their group given what he is capable of bringing to the table.
On the flip side, the 76ers continue to struggle after trading McCain. All they have done is to rid themselves of steady depth at the point guard position, which has pushed them to give Tyrese Maxey even more minutes. Put simply, this trade is aging like milk, and with each passing game, it is apparent that Philly would probably want to take back the move it executed.
The 76ers gave the Thunder a better chance to defend their title
Teams like the Spurs, Pistons, and Celtics will give the Thunder a run for their money in the playoffs, but it is still difficult to envision OKC faltering in a seven-game series. They are slated to get fully healthy before April, and to make things sweeter for them, they now have another ball handler and shot creator in McCain to fill in the gaps.
OKC hasa had struggles generating offense outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, especially with Jalen Williams currently being hobbled. As such, having McCain off the bench (together with Ajay Mitchell) ensures that they have a competent catalyst for their offense for 48 minutes.
That is a complete 180 from what the 76ers are now dealing with. Maxey is getting so overworked that a burnout come playoff time is not out of the realm of reality. VJ Edgecombe has seen his efficiency wane. Quentin Grimes has been unimpressive for the most part. Cameron Payne, who was technically McCain’s replacement, does not inspire a lot of confidence in the backcourt.
At this juncture, league executive should also be subject to mandatory drug testing by the league. After all, this trade which the 76ers front office made could not have possibly been pulled off without some degree of brain rot. They blew this one — and there is no arguing it.