Jared McCain 'had no Expectation' After Being Traded to OKC Thunder

The former Philadelphia guard developed into an important player for Oklahoma City after being traded.

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) reacts after a basket during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

After being traded to Oklahoma City ahead of the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, Jared McCain proved to be an important piece of the Thunder's 2026 postseason run.

While that run fell short of another trip to the NBA Finals, McCain showed that he could make a positive impact for one of the best, and deepest, teams in the league.

The Duke product's performance came as a surprise to many observers after having a limited role for Philadelphia prior to arriving in OKC.

McCain averaged 6.6 points, 2 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 38.5% from the field in 16.8 minutes per game across 37 contests for the 76ers in 2025-26.

The second-year guard tallied 10.4 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 46.2% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range in 18 minutes per game across 30 regular season appearances with the Thunder.

"I really had no expectation of what was going to come," McCain said in his exit interview on May 31. "To come in and kind of provide some kind of a role and be able to kind of play through some failures and play through some mistakes, that was great for me."

After a solid performance in the regular season, McCain became even more crucial to the Thunder's postseason success. After not seeing much action against the Phoenix Suns, the 21-year-old stepped into a larger role in Oklahoma City's next two matchups.

In 11 games against the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, McCain averaged 12.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 41.8% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. McCain's ability as a scorer and ball handler was important for OKC, especially after the team lost Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell to injuries.

McCain even started two games in the Western Conference Finals, the same amount of starts he earned for OKC in the regular season.

McCain reached 20 points twice against San Antonio, including a 24-point outing in a road win against the Spurs, after playing less than 22 combined minutes in four games against Phoenix.

"That's what I think this team is about in general. Every player, even if you get a DNP, everybody's rooting for you, and that's really hard to find," McCain continued. "I was just talking with (Isaiah Joe), like he really was rooting for me, and that's such an awesome feeling to know that when you're playing through mistakes or you're not playing as much, to know that your team has confidence in you."

Following an impressive showing in his first postseason run, it seems likely that McCain will have a role in Oklahoma City over the next few years, especially after getting a full offseason to improve and work with his new team.