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The Sixers Simply Didn’t Believe in Jared McCain
By Sean Barnard
Published:
Sixers Twitter was ready to chase Daryl Morey out of town following the trade deadline decision to move on from Jared McCain. The initial reaction, from myself included, was that this was simply done as a method to duck the tax and save Josh Harris what equates to roughly 0.0005% of his net worth.
While it’s true that the McCain trade successfully got them below this luxury tax number that we are all familiar with, the salary dump of Eric Gordon and comments from Daryl Morey have since made it clear that this was not the motivation behind the deal. It is increasingly clear that Morey and the Sixers simply did not believe that Jared McCain was a part of the Sixers’ vision moving forward.
The Trade Details
The official trade sent McCain to the Thunder for four draft picks. Just looking at it through this lens makes the deal sound palatable. But the actual trade was for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick, the most favorable 2027 second-round pick out of OKC/Houston/Indiana/Miami, a 2028 second round pick from OKC, and a 2028 second round pick by MIL. To give an optimistic prediction, these will turn out to be something like the 22nd pick in this year’s draft, the 46th pick in the 2027 draft, a pick in the 54-60 range in 2028, and the last depends on whatever happens with the Bucks these next few years.
To rewind a little bit, the Sixers drafted McCain with the 16th overall pick in last year’s draft. Following the draft, Morey told media members the Sixers identified McCain as a top-10 talent in his class and thought he could be “pretty special” for years to come.
After struggling in summer league and failing to crack the Sixers’ regular rotation in the early parts of his rookie season, McCain got his opportunity when the injuries started to pile up. He saw his first extended opportunity in his eighth NBA game, and the outlook changed. In the 16 games from that point on, McCain averaged 19.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 rebounds, while shooting 39.7% on three-point attempts. In his eight games as a starter, the Duke product averaged 23.8 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds, while shooting 39.2% on three-point attempts.
In total, he played 23 games in his rookie season and finished with averages of 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from three. McCain displayed an advanced relocation ability and off-ball instincts for a player of his age. The phrase “Steph Curry disciple” gets thrown around a bit too casually, but the California native embraced the off-ball work rate and willingness that falls short for many players who are thrust into this category:
McCain’s rookie season ended due to a torn meniscus. This felt like the final nail in the coffin that last season was trending toward disaster, and this proved to be the case. To make matters worse for the 21-year-old, he suffered a torn UCL in his thumb in the early parts of the Sixers’ training camp. This held him out for the remainder of camp, all of preseason, and the start of the regular season. McCain struggled to carve out a role for himself as he returned for the seventh game of the year and adjusted to playing next to guys like Joel Embiid, Paul George, V.J. Edgecombe, and Quintin Grimes – none of whom were frequently around when he shined last year.
It is fair to assess that there was legitimate doubt that McCain could ever carve out a significant role on this Sixers team moving forward. Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe have established their place as the backcourt of the future. It is also fair to assess that McCain has not looked like the rookie year version of himself for any consistent stretch this season. Across his 37 games this season, McCain has played 16.8 minutes per contest and posted averages of 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and has shot 38.5% from the field and 37.8% on three-point attempts. He has not had the same athletic pop and has largely been an afterthought in rotational decisions. You can also make the case that even at his best, McCain is not Nick Nurse’s style of player. The head coach views basketball through a defensive-minded lens and makes decisions from this perspective.
However, it’s reasonable to think that moving on from a young player who has shown signs of promise should be viewed as bad organizational practice.
If you want to make the case that this Sixers team is a contender and McCain was worth trading for a significant upgrade that can help. I can live with that. But the Sixers did not net a single player in this trade or any deadline move, they just added some future picks.
If you want to make the case that this Sixers team is not a contender and they are still looking to build for the future, then what is the point of trading a 21-year-old player who has shown some promise in a short amount of time?
My tone would be much different on this trade if there was a player coming back in return that fits a clearer need on this roster. But that wasn’t the decision that was made.
Daryl Morey’s Comments
Daryl Morey took to the stand to defend the decision in front of select Sixers’ media on Friday. He opened the presser by thanking McCain and Eric Gordon and continually leaned on the belief that this sets the organization up better for the future. Morey also made clear that they made the McCain deal early with the intentions of flipping those acquired draft picks for a player who can help right now. But this did not happen. As he put it:
“The big move was with Jared. Because we are playing well, we were trying to upgrade the team and add to the team now. That was goal number one…We do feel like this deal sets us up better in the future…but we were looking to add now, and nothing materialized.”
This was a risk Morey had to know he was running, and this also speaks to how he valued McCain’s outlook.
He was pressed a bit on the concept of trading McCain at this current point in his career outlook. Morey definitively stated that “I am quite confident we were selling high. Obviously, time will tell.”
To be clear on what Morey means here, he is assessing that the trade return is worth more than McCain is, or ever will be, as a basketball player. He even took this a step further to say, “That return is for a starting quality player on a good team. It’s actually above that.”
Final Thoughts
Brushing aside that the fact that Thunder are a defending champion organization known for their development of young players, or that this felt an unnecessary shot, the root of this decision is where it is problematic. McCain was not traded away for a clear upgrade or something that helps this team’s outlook in either direction. The likelihood of any of the specific draft picks resulting in a player of what McCain flashed to be as a rookie feels unlikely.
The clear calculus by Morey is that he does not believe what the 21-year-old put on display as a rookie is sustainable. But what is puzzling here is what changed.
McCain is a guy that Morey specifically drafted and spoke highly of. He exceeded even optimistic expectations as a rookie, and then had completely reasonable excuses for why this season has looked different. It is tough to stomach the argument of this being selling high, considering his limited role this year, and there were conversations just this past offseason if McCain could threaten Tyrese Maxey’s future role. This feels idiotic looking back, and really was not worth a legitimate conversation, but this still happened.
Jared McCain’s impact was not going to make or break the outlook of this season for the Sixers. But he potentially could have a few years down the line. This also comes just a week removed from Embiid publicly asking to keep the core together instead of making tax-related moves. Vibes can oftentimes be overrated in sports, but for whatever it is worth, McCain has consistently been an active face of the bench, cheering, and one of the clearer “vibes guys” this team has. The social media posts and comments from players since have made it clear that this stirred a pretty strong reaction in the locker room. Morey failing to recognize the importance of the human impact of these trades is a common criticism, and this is a situation is one where this feels it applies. It is his job to make the tough decisions, but also his job to be aware of the full impact. Upon his first time speaking with the Oklahoma City media, McCain did not hide his level of surprise at this transaction:
The gamble made by Morey is that McCain is not who he looked to be as a basketball player last year. We have seen players have flashes of brilliance as a rookie and fail to match this frequently. As Morey said himself, only time will tell if he is right. But from everything that has been seen and heard about McCain, this is not a gamble I would have been willing to make. At least certainly not for that return.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.