Daryl Morey and the former Philadelphia 76ers front office regime couldn’t separate Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain for the rest of their careers. Although McCain quickly turned into an ex-Sixer, getting traded in the midst of his sophomore season with the team, Maxey remains close with the former first-rounder out of Duke.
And based on McCain’s latest social media photo dump, the two young standouts recently linked up to put in some work together in the offseason. Both players will play critical roles on contending teams next season.
The Maxey-McCain connection is broken, yet remains strong
It’s certainly not rare for NBA players—especially former teammates—to link up work on sharpening their games together during the offseason. While Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum might not get spotted working out together in a gym anytime soon, Maxey and McCain split on good terms, despite it being unexpected.
During the 2025-2026 NBA season, McCain struggled with staying healthy. After recovering from a knee injury throughout his rookie season and beyond, the young sharpshooter suffered a thumb injury just before training camp. He underwent surgery last October, which prolonged his comeback.
Former 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey infamously “sold high” on McCain before the 2026 deadline. After McCain averaged 6.6 points while shooting 37.8% from three during the 2025-2026 season (15.3 PPG on 38.3% 3PT shooting as a rookie), the Sixers traded McCain for a 2026 first-round pick and three future second-round picks. The first return for the deal is the Alabama rookie, Labaron Philon Jr.
The idea of Philon has eased the McCain trade, which had a massive portion of the Sixers’ fan base calling for Morey’s job. Still, the trade is far from a win, considering Philon hasn’t proven anything just yet, while McCain remained productive on a championship-caliber team that went as far as the Western Conference Finals.
In 30 games, McCain averaged 10.4 points, while shooting his career-best 39.1% from three off the bench with the Thunder. He maintained similar production during OKC’s 15-game Thunder run. Until Philon proves he’s ready for an instant role, the McCain trade will still sting for the Sixers. Maxey clearly still believes in the Thunder guard, as he continues working with him in his time away from his team.
Heading into the 2026-2027 season, Maxey is searching for his third All-Star appearance while playing on a stacked 76ers team that saw some notable changes during the summer.
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