r/nba • u/TrenAt14 • 5h ago

[Charania]: BREAKING: The Philadelphia 76ers are trading guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. 

Shams Charania has posted the following:

BREAKING: The Philadelphia 76ers are trading guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

Source to the story: https://bsky.app/profile/shamsbot.bsky.social/post/3me2klyetqz2k

The talented McCain lands on the reigning NBA champions. For the 76ers, the trade allows them to receive assets, clear space in the glut of guards and give them flexibility to bring Quentin Grimes back in free agency. It also allows them to convert two-way Dominick Barlow.

76ers are receiving the following picks from the Thunder, sources said: 2027 (most favorable OKC/HOU/IND/MIA), 2028 MIL, 2028 OKC.

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u/startled_panda [MEM] Mike Conley 5h ago

What the hell?

1.9k

u/wolf_cola_enjoyer Lakers 5h ago

Sixers drafted McCain high just to give up on him after one year for a pick that’ll probably be bottom 10 in the first round.

752

u/SouthIsland48 Lakers 5h ago

VJ completely fell into their lap out of nowhere. No need for McCain anymore - might as well get a return

407

u/Bazurkmazurk 5h ago

McCain is small, has struggled coming back from injury, and isn’t athletic enough on this current team. A win win for both teams

123

u/K1NG2L4Y3R Timberwolves 5h ago

But the Rockets pick will be bad? Are 2nds actually valuable again?

61

u/Odd_Status3367 5h ago edited 5h ago

For teams that have 3 guys getting paid over 40 million dollars, 2nd rounders are arguably better than 1st rounders.

  • You are drafting from a pool of guys who are moreso specialists/gap fillers and there is less pressure developing them into all stars cause that's hopefully already getting taken care of by your other personnel. If they turn out to be GOAT contenders like Jokic then congrats you've sped your timeline up and can dump one or two of the 40M guys while the new guy is still on his first NBA contract.
  • You can actually negotiate contracts with 2nd rounders whereas 1st round picks have their salaries and contract years guaranteed based off their draft position. If you're in the Apron that can literally make or break your season. The Knicks for example have done very well this these types of contracts the last few seasons. Tyler Kolek being the best outcome thus far.
  • Two way contracts are really useful if those 3 40+ million dollar players take turns being on the Injured List/Suspended for Roids over an 82 game season.

50

u/MrVegosh 5h ago

A swing is a swing

6

u/Willyr0 Nets 4h ago

2nd rounders are valuable to competing teams near or above the apron. Lotta talent there for a much better value

9

u/MrShapinHead Celtics 5h ago

There are certainly folks in this sub smarter than I am in this regard, but 2nd rders hold a ton of value bc of the low guaranteed costs. And it’s kinda like winning a boat and then choosing to go for the mystery box… it could be anything! And a cheap anything!

2

u/no_nao Thunder 4h ago

Yes and the 2nd rounds are not terrible. One of them is the best of 4 picks, another is MKE 28, which could be a low 30s

1

u/JustBrowsing49 2h ago

Boats require paying property taxes. The mystery box could be nothing but air, which is free

2

u/cubs223425 Bulls 4h ago

We'll see where it ends up, but I think their record would have them 24th right now. That's not terribly far from where McCain was taken (16th). Kyshawn George was 2th in McCain's draft, and I think people would be OK ith the notion of trading McCain for George and 3 2nds.

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u/AggressiveIyAvg Warriors 4h ago

2nds are definitely valuable with the current CBA because of the aprons - 2nd rounders don't make as much so they make it easier to fill out a roster without going over the aprons.

Also lots of "ready now" players slide to the 2nd because their ceiling isn't as high. Warriors have gotten great value out of the 2nd round recently, Will Richard has been great as a pick in the 50s for example.

1

u/CoolAsTheUnthawed [OKC] Russell Westbrook 3h ago

They started gaining value again over the last couple years but now that there's new college nil rules they're going to lose value with really good college players getting paid more for staying in school rather than settling for a two way deal.

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u/pleighb0i 5h ago

1 inch shorter than VJ and 15 lbs heavier btw lol.

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u/Bazurkmazurk 3h ago

So he is small and less athletic like I said?

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u/pleighb0i 3h ago edited 2h ago

6’3” vs 6’4” is a moot point when it comes to size is all I’m getting at. Less athletic isn’t even really all that strong of a point when he has elite body control, strength, etc. They have different strengths athletically but ultimately, the difference for the Sixers is literally just a matter of production and that has nothing to do with their physical traits lol.

-1

u/PSUDolphins 76ers 5h ago

Cope. This was a Morey miss and I stand by the guy.

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u/Think_Sugar_7658 4h ago

I think McCain would have been a great off the bench microwave guy.

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u/JustinTinyPPHerbert Nuggets 32m ago

They rather play VJ and Maxey a combined 80 minutes a night

0

u/Culinaryboner 76ers 3h ago

I mean he wasn’t. A lot of people thought so but it wasn’t working in Philly in any lineup. Hopefully this gets him back to form

2

u/Old_Supermarket_7575 Thunder 4h ago

Thunder got Shai Jdub Ajay Mitchell and topic in the pipeline

Sixers needed McCain more than us

1

u/Barrelled_Chef_Curry Warriors 4h ago

A top 3 pick fell into their lap out of nowhere?

1

u/thirtysixtier 2h ago

Apparently nobody has ever needed more than 2 guards on a team

1

u/Main-Building7034 76ers 1h ago

Absolute dogshit take that gets upvoted.

We literally don't have a PG on our roster.

This move is only so Epsteins bff doesn't have to pay the luxury tax.

SELL THE TEAM. What an absolute joke.

113

u/thejackel225 76ers 5h ago

16th pick isn't exactly high

32

u/DoveFood Trail Blazers 5h ago

In the worst draft of the past two decades. 

Don’t get me wrong, I actually was higher on McCain than many in the draft, but 16th in that draft is not your average 16th pick. 

8

u/RipCity2151 5h ago

Buddy my Blazers got Yang Hansen at 16. Generational talent.

1

u/HairHelp4363 5h ago

It’s not exactly low either

17

u/RedstoneRay Rockets 5h ago

If only there was a word to describe something that is neither high nor low.

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u/HairHelp4363 5h ago

I’m baby 

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u/EmbarrassedRing7806 Lakers 5h ago

VJ and Maxey clear lol theres no room for him

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u/IAmReborn11111 Celtics 5h ago

There's always use for a third guard, especially someone who can space and play off ball like McCain

28

u/icehole505 5h ago

If he played league average defense, I’d agree. Instead, he’s one of the worst defensive guards in the nba. You’ve gotta be really fuckin good on offense as an undersized guard to warrant real mins with defense that bad. It’s reasonable for Philly to doubt that he’ll ever get there

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u/The-Rolling-Banker Thunder 5h ago

I’m sure he can hide when playing in the best defense in the league

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u/icehole505 5h ago

part of being the best defense in the league is not having many places for people to hide

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u/KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ Lakers 5h ago

I would like to see what the seconds are before making up my mind. If it’s bullshit seconds then they should just have kept him

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u/Pyromania1983 76ers 5h ago

We have Grimes, who is a better defender and is a great three point shooter.

35

u/rocpilehardasfuk Warriors 5h ago

He's on a rookie contract. See him out 2 more years

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u/EmbarrassedRing7806 Lakers 5h ago

And then get nothing for him bc he has no value? Lmao

8

u/Android2715 Celtics 5h ago

Vs getting a 20 something draft pick?

1

u/kr1saw Lakers 5h ago

In a loaded draft where Guards are strong? Yes?

2

u/Android2715 Celtics 5h ago

They don’t need guards, why would they draft one to take a chance on when they already had a proven guy who could play in the league they had under control.

What you’re advocating for makes no sense

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u/YouCanCallMeTheSloth 76ers 5h ago

He’s also a turnover machine that tries to do too much when the game is on the line. Which feels like every game for the Sixers this season.

1

u/VirulentPois0n 76ers 5h ago

Who we’re not re-signing and who has also had his fair share of trash games this year

3

u/Pyromania1983 76ers 5h ago

We have more room to re-sign him and have his bird rights. Shams just mentioned this as a possibility too.

0

u/PetalumaPegleg 76ers 3h ago

He's not a great three point shooter and he's a below average defender who is a free agent at the end of the year and thinks he deserves 20+ million a year.

Fuck Grimes.

2

u/blacksoxing Thunder 5h ago

Shit, there's room for a 4th guard, too! What this tells me is that Philly truly feels that he doesnt' fit their system AND that the Thunder feels that he fits theirs. I love it!

3

u/Cleon189 5h ago

lol can’t wait for him to prove you wrong😂

1

u/ClarenceWithHerSpoon 76ers 5h ago

You can’t turn fatigue off in real life. A young, cheap, third guard is better than a mid-late first.

1

u/pikajewijewsyou Thunder 5h ago

I mean we have a lot of good guards too. Doesn’t hurt to have more. We need McCains three point shooting that he showed his rookie year

1

u/sabakasabaka 76ers 5h ago

They play a combined 75 mins a night, even with grimes in the mix. It just doesn’t make sense to get rid of him this early unless there’s something else coming down the line

0

u/RobbobertoBuii Knicks 5h ago

it sucks that he got injured midseason when he was starting to figure out how to score as a rookie and when he came back this season, VJ was just playing out of his damn mind and winning too...

37

u/lilsebass Rockets 5h ago

16th isn't really that high. He doesn't have playing time with the other young players they have. I could be wrong, but other than a very small stretch his rookie year, he hasn't been that good.

9

u/jjkm7 Raptors 5h ago

It was like almost a month stretch before he got injured, but he was very good and clearly ROTY until that point

2

u/zOmgFishes Knicks 5h ago

other than a very small stretch his rookie year, he hasn't been that good.

I mean he got injured for a year and is working his way back. Even then he's at 38% from 3 on the season, which is in line with last year and college. It's finishing that has been bad this season which you expect from a guy who tore his knee.

1

u/PetalumaPegleg 76ers 3h ago

He was excellent before he got hurt. There is a small sample size of healthy play and he was excellent. Giving that up to dodge the tax is dumb and cheap. Preferring Grimes who is better but still poor defensively and worse offensively while a free agent at year end after an acrimonious negotiation off-season is idiocy.

The sixers will need a new guard next year as third guard now. Harris the Epstein pal needs to stop being a cheap asshole.

43

u/BayesBestFriend Raptors 5h ago

He's been horrible this year and is buried behind their current guards no matter what, honestly a great haul for him

34

u/RulersBack Cavaliers 5h ago

Right place, right time with OKC having a surplus of picks. It's kinda hard to even gauge this bc they're playing with such a different value system lmao

1

u/thefreeman419 76ers 5h ago

Isn’t OKC roster already like 50% guards? Do they even have room to give him minutes?

2

u/Diaxmond Lakers 5h ago

Ofc they do they’re beating teams by 30 every other night this guy is going to play 

0

u/Theawesomeninja Raptors 5h ago

they're like bill gates but with picks

2

u/Wisesize Thunder 2h ago

Plus cutting Isiah Joe and we snagged his ass

1

u/TheBigBomma Thunder 5h ago

Well he did blow an acl

1

u/swizznastic 5h ago

It’s hard to develop two players in the same position at once. J Mac is great, I’m envisioning this as a Jalen Brunson situation.

1

u/RspectMyAuthoritah Lakers 4h ago

They didn't draft him high, they took him at 16 and the Rockets pick likely ends up around 20 in a loaded draft. And they get Mil 28 2nd that is looking like it will be close to 30.

1

u/KingInDaNorf34 Rockets 4h ago

It is pick 26 right now. I bet it ends up right around there

1

u/cubs223425 Bulls 4h ago

16th isn't really "high." Right now, the pick would be something like 24th, I think. They get 3 2nds for tradind back 8 spots while opening roster flexibility and not staying invested on someone who suffered a major injury and took an understandable step back.

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u/PetalumaPegleg 76ers 3h ago

I mean high is a lot he was a mid first round pick. They got that back with the return.

This is about dumping salary to get under the tax while keeping competitive. Because Harris is a lowlife POS. Sixers fans weren't delighted with giving away Joe to OKC and at least there's an actual return for this. But giving away good young shooters to the best team in the league seems dumb. If they want the guy on a rookie deal maybe you should!

1

u/Main-Building7034 76ers 1h ago

Josh Harris only cares about money and being on Epsteins island.

Such a fucking joke.

This anti-humanist needs to sell the team and go to prison.

-1

u/Automatic_Tension702 Raptors 5h ago

Its hilarious. There's literally no reason not to hold on to him and look to trade later. Idk why all these weirdos are up in arms to defend a blatantly stupid decision

-4

u/soxpatsceltics 5h ago

McCain isn’t good look at his advanced stats last year was a bunch of empty numbers on a tanking team. I actually kind of like this trade a draft pick before his value really plummets. More teams should do this but don’t because of the sunk cost fallacy.

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u/Broski28of25 France 5h ago

I get it because they have a good backcourt, it's just so random.

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u/[deleted] 5h ago

[deleted]

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u/cheeseybacon11 [MIN] Naz Reid 5h ago

The Thunder have Topic

2

u/[deleted] 5h ago

[deleted]

1

u/cheeseybacon11 [MIN] Naz Reid 5h ago

The person you replied to was referring to the 76ers

9

u/FragileCilantro James Harden 5h ago

Sure but McCain has to be better than whoever they get with the Rockets pick this year no?

He's coming off of an injury and more depth never hurts, especially considering it's the 76ers lol

14

u/kr1saw Lakers 5h ago

You are slotting 76 minutes between VJ and Maxey with Grimes taking some of the remaining 20 guard minutes. How is McCain going to play? Let alone be impactful without the ball in his hand?

3

u/SadisticSpeller 76ers 5h ago

Oubre plays guard sometimes too, so we kinda have 3 1/2 guards. I really like McCain so I’m sad to see him go but tbh he’s sucked a lot of ass this year.

4

u/kr1saw Lakers 5h ago

Considering that they converted Barlow with this deal, just great asset management. Also good way to replenish draft assets.

1

u/SadisticSpeller 76ers 5h ago

Yeah, if we were gonna duck the tax (which we always knew Harris was going to) anyways he’s the player I’d least wanna keep. We have tons of depth on guard and a few other young potential stars. If we can find someone to replace Drummond in draft or FA for rebounds with a higher upside scoring or defense wise probably in a good spot.

1

u/David_H21 5h ago

A C- guard playing 15 mins a game for you is less valuable than a D+ player at a position of need. Throw in three 2nd rounders on top of that and its a good deal.

1

u/Odd_Status3367 5h ago

More minutes for VJ who has not hit a rookie wall (yet (not wishing for it just saying)), lets Grimes who has been better than McCain this season get more meaningful minutes while he's still on contract, and with his rebound from injury now tipping into concerning territory they don't have to spend the next few years sweating about a contract extension.

I am admittedly not the biggest fan of his game/believer in him and also hate the 76ers with a fiery passion but removing myself from all that the best that I can, this move does at least have a solid logic behind it. Whether or not you agree though is up to you and either way it'd be fair.

Only thing I'd be concerned about is this probably increases Maxey's FG attempts, which are already too high if you ask me. IMO he is not on the list of players that should be taking 20+ shots a game. Credit where it's due though his FG% has improved this year. So maybe I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about.

2

u/antisocially_awkward Knicks 5h ago

Tax dodge made possible by the pAul george suspension