The Philadelphia 76ers absolutely fleeced Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade. Yes, you read that right — the 76ers just got off a phone call with the defending champs and came out as the undisputed victors. After all, they managed to trade Jared McCain and got generously rewarded for doing what was basically an easy deal to pull the trigger on.
As reported, the 76ers will be receiving a total of four draft picks for McCain, one of which is a first-round pick this year originally owned by the Rockets. That, along with three future second-rounders, definitely makes for a huge haul that can make a world of difference for the team in the near future, if not now. The pick details are as followed:
- 2026 Houston Rockets first-round pick
- 2027 second-round pick (most favorable between OKC/HOU/IND/MIA)
- 2028 Milwaukee Bucks second-round pick
- 2028 Oklahoma City Thunder second-round pick
Arguably the best executive in the NBA, Presti is normally the one who engineers those notabel fleece jobs that end up aging like fine wine in both short-term returns and long-term results. But in this case, the 76ers definitely got what someone like McCain commanded on the market and then some.
The 76ers absolutely fleeced Sam Presti and the Thunder as Jared McCain trade details emerge
With the rise of VJ Edgecombe and the apparent retention of Quentin Grimes, the 76ers simply no longer have the legroom to accommodate McCain and the kind of role he needs to have in order to be truly effective. While he has gotten better as of late, he has still been a pretty disappointing piece this season, struggling even beyond the tempered metrics of a player coming off a couple of major injuries.
Put simply, McCain has become expendable anyway.
But to sweeten the pot even more, the 76ers got a first-round pick this year. While that is not going to be a lofty selection given Houston’s current record, the 2026 draft class is widely reckoned as one teeming in talent. Philly has a muddled payroll for now, so getting to usher a rookie in for next season will be huge for them. Otherwise, that pick could also end up being a major asset in possible breakthrough trades either now or in the summer.
Meanwhile, this seems like an admission on OKC’s part that they have way too many draft picks for so little roster spots. Problem is, they already have tons of mouths to feed in the backcourt, so trading for McCain in particular only adds to the congestion they have in the guard positions.
Of course, there is no denying that the 76ers made a significant concession in this trade when they basically gave up on a talented young guard in Jared McCain. However, for what his current value is, Daryl Morey and company most certainly got way more than what others could have extracted for him.