Sixers Trade Deadline 2026 Grade Roundup

The Sixers kicked off their trade deadline activity by sending second-year sniper Jared McCain to the Western Conference.

Here is an ongoing tracker of grades for the trades Philadelphia makes leading up to Thursday's deadline.

McCain traded to Oklahoma City Thunder

Philadelphia dealt second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a slew of draft picks. The Sixers will receive a 2026 first-round pick via the Houston Rockets, the most favorable of 2027 second-round picks between the Thunder, Rockets, Pacers and Heat, a 2028 second-round choice from the Milwaukee Bucks and another 2028 second-rounder from the Thunder.

We'll start off with our own evaluation of this deal.

The Sixers get a C, while the Thunder get a B.

I view this as selling on McCain too soon. VJ Edgecombe changed the calculus quite a bit. McCain went from being a promising prospect that the team was invested in to a guy who was battling for minutes in a guard rotation that featured Tyrese Maxey, Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes.

This seems like a clear indication that the Sixers viewed McCain as someone whose stock would drop if they kept him. If we want to look at it from a financial perspective, he's maybe the only player you could've moved that would've accomplished the goal of dodging the luxury tax while also netting actual assets in return. If their concerns were right and McCain's trade value continued to drop, they'd eventually let him go for nothing or not getting anything resembling that draft capital in return.

On the other hand, if they're wrong, they will have completely misevaluated what his upside is and turned the guy who was the favorite for Rookie of the Year into a pick that may never have the upside that McCain has. Perhaps this was a lost year as he worked his way back from a meniscus injury. But it's a gamble to sell on him this early, unless you have another move to bolster the roster lined up.

As for the Thunder, they filled a need with shooting but they already have their own glut of guards. I'm not sure where Jared McCain fits into the picture on this team, particularly as a guard who struggles to defend right now. It's difficult to imagine that this is a significantly better situation for McCain, even if the Thunder have a rich history of turning prospects into diamonds.

Bleacher Report

Dan Favale was none too fond of the deal for Philadelphia. The Thunder received an A. The Sixers recorded a D+.

Favale had this to say:

Congratulations to the Sixers for once again ducking the luxury tax! All it took was...Paul George getting suspended for 25 games and salary-dumping last year's half-season Rookie of the Year. Nabbing a first-round pick for McCain amid sophomore struggles is solid. His value was further complicated by Philly's guard glut. There was little room to actualize his highest-end outcome if Tyrse Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and, potentially, Quentin Grimes are all in front of him. Yet, picks with limited upside aren't worth a victory lap. If the Sixers are lucky, they might use the No. 26 selection to get...someone who's almost as good as McCain can be! The Sixers no doubt had a mandate to skirt the tax. If McCain was going to be collateral damage, it should have been a can't-miss type offer. This isn't that. More than anything, this is cheapness in excess.
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report

The criticism is fair. This move does get the Sixers below the luxury tax line, something they've done repeatedly at the deadline during the Joel Embiid era. The package of draft capital is a win for a player who was fighting for the fringes of the rotation in Philadelphia.

But it's a risky bet. If Maxey, with his high usage and minute load, or VJ Edgecombe, who could potentially hit a rookie wall at any moment given the amount of games he's played, gets injured, you're immediately putting Kyle Lowry or Eric Gordon on deck for regular rotation minutes. As concerning, the Sixers have not been a particularly strong three-point-shooting team all season and McCain was arguably their second or third best shooter. Where do you turn if Grimes hits a cold spell?

More importantly, are you sure you want to invest in Grimes as a long-term piece of this team?