Last month, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a surprising and mostly unwelcoming move. They seemingly gave up on him way too soon, and the trade (which was already a bit controversial at the time) has only aged poorly for them.
Now, to make matters worse, the former 76ers guard recently revealed how he reacted to the trade, and it's certainly not what fans want to hear (h/t Jake Fischer of The Stein Line).
“It was weird emotions,” McCain told The Stein Line last week. “I’m crying and he's telling me I’m traded and I’m telling players on the bus and hugging guys goodbye.”
“I had no clue at all,” he said.
The 76ers' decision to trade Jared McCain was a blindside and a mistake
It's fair to say that McCain had mostly been disappointing this season. However, it's also important to remember that he had his rookie year cut short due to a meniscus tear, and he missed the start of the current season due to a torn UCL in his right thumb.
In 37 games with the 76ers this season, the Duke alum averaged 6.6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 38.5% from the field and 37.8% from deep. He also spent some time in the G League to try to sort things out.
The 76ers had a loaded backcourt, and behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, it may have been tough for McCain to take that next step and fulfill his full potential. But instead of selling low (pretty much as low as they possibly could have), they should've just kept him around anyway and figured it out in the future. After all, having too much talent on one team is a good problem to have.
McCain had a fantastic rookie campaign last season, though it was a small sample size. In 23 games, he averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 46% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc. Additionally, he finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting and would have been a legitimate candidate to win the award had he not suffered his injury.
But all of that is in the past, and the 76ers now have to lay in their bed that they made.
Not only did they give up on McCain, but they shipped him out without any warning (which is evidently just how it is sometimes in the NBA business). And now, he's making them pay for it dearly.
In his first 11 games since joining the Thunder, the recently turned 22-year-old has averaged 12.5 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 48.5% from the field and 43.1% from deep in 19.9 minutes. This includes three games of scoring 20 or more points, which is something he did just once in Philadelphia this season.
Trading McCain was a mistake at the time, and it's going to be remembered as one for many years to come as he looks to potentially help Oklahoma City usher in a new dynasty, whereas the 76ers just look to stay afloat.