It has been nearly four months already, but the Philadelphia 76ers are still feeling the sting from their own decision to ship Jared McCain away at the trade deadline. The move quickly turned out to be a rather unpopular one, and now, it seems like that very sentiment is seconded by the players on the roster such as Andre Drummond.
In a recent appearance, Drummond echoed what every 76ers fan feels about the trail of that deal, stating that he wished the team had opted to keep him instead of sending him to the defending champions shortly before the deadline.
"I am very happy for Jared McCain. I wish we kept him, obviously, but I think he went to a good situation, a team that is going to help him develop and help him grow. I love the kid to death. Very, very good kid."
Andre Drummond says what every 76ers fan feels about the Jared McCain trade
The sophomore guard, who was the consensus pick to win Rookie of the Year in his freshman campaign before an unfortunate knee injury that prompted surgery forced him to miss nearly a calendar year, was a shocking moving piece during the movement spree in February. While he had a pretty slow start to his second year, people were correctly adamant about staying the course with him given his injury-related rust.
Instead, Daryl Morey and his crew, under the brazen guise of "selling high," decided to cut costs anew and part ways with such a desirable young player in McCain. The 76ers got some draft picks in return, but obviously, what they received has not yet been realized.
Meanwhile, it did not take long before the Thunder were able to savor their low-risk gambit. McCain turned out to be a playoff riser for them, filling in for his injured teammates and helping OKC inch closer to another Finals appearance, although they did fall short to San Antonio.
Drummond knows the situation too well. After all, he saw the 76ers peak early in the playoffs and flame out in the semis thanks in large part to their sheer lack of creators outside of their starting five. That is clearly an area where having McCain could have helped, but the front office willingly jettisoned that idea.
Without prejudice to the notion that there remains a very slim chance that the 76ers will end up winning that trade, the verdict right now cannot be any more lopsided. The Thunder absolutely fleeced Philly by snatching Jared McCain away from their grasps, and the worst part of it all is that the victim played the role of maestro in orchestrating that very larceny.
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