It was a head-scratcher at the time, and it hasn't aged very well either so far, but the Philadelphia 76ers made a big mistake by trading Jared McCain (and essentially giving up on him in just his second season) to the Oklahoma City Thunder, of all teams.
In a recent episode of the "Game Theory" podcast, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie spoke about how great of an addition McCain has been to the Thunder. Not only that, but Vecenie specifically pointed out how McCain's presence will help in a potential playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. And while he didn't say this outright, it's clear that this trade could play a major role in Oklahoma City potentially repeating as NBA champions this year.
"I think that Jared McCain is actually a massive add for Oklahoma City in a potential Denver series because of his ability to not just shoot the ball, but also to create. That's why he's a bit more of an elevated version of what they have with Isaiah Joe. He can actually dribble, get into the midrange, knock down a midrange jumper with quickness, hit some passes here and there, keep the offense in rhythm," Vecenie said.
The 76ers should be regretting their Jared McCain trade
Philadelphia might not necessarily be the biggest title contender in the East, but they're at least a team that's in the hunt.
With a little over a month left in the season, the 76ers are 33-27. They own the No. 6 seed, but they are just 5.5 games behind the No. 3 seed New York Knicks and 3.5 games ahead of the red-hot Charlotte Hornets, who own the No. 10 seed. As it stands, they have a real shot at making a solid playoff run, and in an Eastern Conference as wide-open as this one is, anything is possible.
Would keeping McCain have guaranteed an NBA Finals appearance for Philadelphia this season? Of course not (though it could've helped). But trading him may have done exactly that for a team that really didn't need it.
In 10 games since joining the Thunder, the recently turned 22-year-old has averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc in 19.4 minutes. This includes a season-best 21-point performance (on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from deep) in just his fifth game with the team.
To be fair, McCain struggled with the 76ers this season. He played 37 games for the team and averaged just 6.6 points while shooting 38.5% from the field and 37.8% from deep. Additionally, he played two games for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, though this was likely for both performative and injury recovery-related reasons.
However, the 76ers drafted him 16th overall not even two years ago. And had he not gotten his rookie year cut short due to a meniscus tear in his left knee, he would have a very serious case to win the Rookie of the Year award.
It is what it is. The 76ers gave up on McCain too soon, and he's already making them pay for it. But as the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. And both they and the Thunder are learning that firsthand... just for completely different reasons.