NBA Executives Believe Jared McCain Trade Was a Steal… For the OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are fresh off winning their first championship in franchise history, and they have the best record in the NBA this year. They got even better Wednesday courtesy of the Sixers.

The Thunder traded a 2026 first-round pick (likely via the Houston Rockets) and three future second-rounders to the Sixers for second-year guard Jared McCain. Although McCain has largely struggled this season, he lit the league on fire as a rookie before he suffered a season-ending meniscus tear last December.

Sources across the NBA don't appear fazed by McCain's performance this year. After the trade, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said "people in the league think this is an absolute steal" for the Thunder.

Brian Windhorst on the Thunder trading for Jared McCain: “People in the league think this is an absolute steal.”
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— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 5, 2026

As On SI's Austin Krell documented, the general consensus aligns with that thinking. The Thunder are largely getting glowing grades for the trade, while the Sixers are being called out for potentially using this trade as their way to get out of the luxury tax.

The Sixers still have four hours to prove that this was a stepping-stone deal rather than their entire trade deadline plan. If they flip some of the assets that they acquired for McCain and turn those into a productive player, it might be easier to understand their overall strategy. If not, their top priority will be clear as day.

Will McCain trade come back to haunt the Sixers?

The Sixers already bolstered the Thunder a few years ago when they waived Isaiah Joe shortly before the start of the 2022-23 season. Three days later, he signed a multi-year contract with the Thunder and has developed into a key sharpshooter off the bench for them.

In Joe's two years in Philly, he averaged only 3.7 points in 10.3 minutes per game while shooting 35.5 percent overall and 34.9 percent from deep. Since his arrival in OKC, he's up to 9.3 points in 19.9 minutes per game over the past four seasons. He's shooting 44.4 percent overall and 41.0 percent from three-point range in that span.

Will McCain follow suit? He's heading into a crowded backcourt rotation featuring reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Joe and Nikola Topić, so it might be difficult for him to crack the rotation at first. Luckily, the Thunder don't need him to.

McCain's main appeal to the Thunder was likely his contract. He's earning only $4.2 million this year, $4.4 million next year and $6.8 million in 2027-28. The Thunder are about to become far more expensive starting next season when Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren both begin their max contracts.

The Thunder will soon have to start making some difficult roster choices, much like every other expensive team around the NBA. Wallace is extension-eligible this offseason, while they have an $18.2 million team option on Dort. If they begin to shed backcourt talent, McCain could become an increasingly integral (and inexpensive!) piece of their long-term plans.

McCain didn't have a realistic path toward a starting spot in Philly thanks to the emergence of VJ Edgecombe, but he's now joining an even more crowded backcourt. If that was a legitimate concern, the Thunder presumably wouldn't have traded for him either.

McCain will now have the next few years to prove that the Sixers made a mistake by cutting bait on him this quickly. Given OKC's reputation for developing and maximizing its players, there's a real chance that this trade ages poorly for Daryl Morey and Co.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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