The perspectives and options given from the Jared McCain trade
Jared McCain of the 76ers during the Sacramento Kings game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Jan. 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Philadelphia finally made a move just a day before the trade deadline, dealing Jared McCain to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder for the Houston Rockets 1st round pick this upcoming draft, as well as three second-round draft picks. While outrage ensued, the bigger picture must be looked at before drawing any conclusions.
At the surface level, there are two clear perspectives when approaching this trade. The outlook that many fans have is the one that seems to make the most sense right now: Philadelphia gave up on McCain too early and wasn’t given enough back. McCain seemed to finally pick things back up in his increasing minutes after his excellent season last year, finding himself more in the rotation and getting his groove back. McCain had an incredible rookie season, averaging over 20 points per game when he was in the starting role. Getting rid of him for just a first-round pick and a few second-round picks does not seem to be worth it. At best, the Rockets’ pick, which was acquired by Oklahoma City before this trade, is at best going to be in the low to mid 20s in the draft order. McCain was picked with the 16th pick, so trading him just a year and a half later for someone who will be picked after he was doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.
The other perspective when looking at this trade is the more positive one. Philadelphia, which likely wasn’t going to have its draft pick this season, now gets a pick in this extremely deep 2026 draft class. High-value players will be available later than they are in usual drafts, giving the Sixers a chance to possibly draft someone better than McCain. The three second-round picks are nice as well, as some decent players have come out of the second round for Philly, like Adem Bona. Philly clears some cap space and stays under the tax, while also gaining some decent draft capital.
However, there’s one more piece to this Jared McCain trade that could occur. Daryl Morey is known to go out and get star power, as he’s done in the past with James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Jimmy Butler, and Chris Paul, and there are some stars that could be on the market during Thursday’s trade deadline.
The best available is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who Philly has been on the back burner in conversations when it comes to acquiring the two-time MVP. Gaining draft capital gives Philadelphia a better chance to go out and get the superstar. If they choose to pair Paul George and other pieces to go along with picks, it is possible. Chances are that this isn’t going to happen, but other valuable players on the market for the Sixers include Jonathon Kuminga, Michael Porter Jr., and Domantas Sabonis. Philadelphia needs forward depth with the suspension of George, and adding a star could potentially push the 76ers to that next level that they so desire. With the picks that they own and the pieces they have, acquiring one of these players is absolutely on the table.
Philadelphia sending off Jared McCain is something fans aren’t going to be very fond of for some time, but the collective needs to take a step back and look at what could happen with the new options the Sixers have. The city of Philadelphia needs to let the trade deadline pass before it judges this team for the move that, right now, may not seem to make a whole lot of sense.
Evan Hartenstein
Evan has been a member of the Philly Sports Reports team since March 2023. He is covering the 76ers and wants to pursue a long-lasting career in Sports Journalism.
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