76ers Trade Jared McCain To Thunder For 2026 First Round Pick And Three Seconds
Jared McCain #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Denver Nuggets at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 5, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nuggets defeated the 76ers 125-124 in overtime. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers have made a move.
With just a day until the NBA Trade Deadline, the 76ers have made their first trade, sending Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder and in return receiving the Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick as well as three second-round picks.
It’s a very shocking move as the 76ers seem to be selling low on McCain, who last season at one point was the favorite for Rookie of the Year. However, McCain suffered a meniscus tear, ending his rookie year after just 23 games. In those 23 games, McCain averaged 15.3 points a game, shooting 46% from the field and 38.3% from three, finishing tied for seventh in Rookie of the Year voting.
McCain worked his way back from the meniscus tear, debuting back in early November, but unfortunately for him, his playing time that was plentiful the season prior was almost nonexistent in his return. That was because the 76ers drafted guard VJ Edgecombe No. 3 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, essentially taking McCain’s starting spot and taking the majority of his minutes.
On top of that, McCain has struggled in the playing time he has been given, averaging just 6.6 points per game, shooting 38.5% from the field and 37.8% from three. He went multiple games in a row without getting any or little playing time, usually only getting in during garbage time. This caused him to get sent down to the 76ers G-League team, the Delaware 87ers, to just get some type of run.
The Rockets’ pick the 76ers will receive will be unprotected, and the seconds will be one from 2027, the most favorable of the Thunder, Rockets, Pacers, or Heat pick. The other two will be the Bucks and the Thunder’s second-rounders in the 2028 draft.
With the deal, the opportunities for the 76ers open massively for the remainder of the deadline. They can convert two-way forward Dominick Barlow to a full-time contract, and with the money they save, can have the opportunity to resign guard Quentin Grimes in free agency this summer.
While they could do that, the 76ers also own six tradable first-round picks and 13 second-round picks, and could very likely insert themselves in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade conversations. The 76ers would have to trade Paul George if they were to acquire Antetokounmpo, but the big question would be whether they would have to include Edgecombe as well.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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