Warriors Missed Opportunity By Not Trading for Thunder's Game 3 Star

The Golden State Warriors had an opportunity to trade for a young player they reportedly liked at the trade deadline, but he ended up getting dealt to the Thunder.

The Philadelphia 76ers took Jared McCain with the 16th pick of the 2024 draft—a draft for which the Warriors had no first-round pick.

Surprisingly, the Sixers put McCain on the trade block after one-and-a-half seasons, and the Thunder pounced by acquiring him for one first-round pick (now confirmed as the 21st pick of the 2026 draft) and three second-round picks.

The Warriors could have beat that package, but they chose to hold their assets instead.

McCain shined in the Thunder's Game 3 win over the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, scoring 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting.

Warriors Reportedly Liked McCain

Jason Dumas and Sam Esfandiari wrote on X that they heard McCain had a great pre-draft workout with the Warriors.

That the Warriors liked McCain should come as no surprise.

McCain idolized Stephen Curry, and it's not hard to see that he models his game after the two-time MVP's.

McCain is shooting 38.5 percent from three in his two-year career. The 22-year-old isn't currently playing enough minutes to put big numbers, but after averaging 15.3 points as a rookie, it feels like he could have a breakout third season if given more opportunity.

Sixers Might Have Wanted Podz for McCain

It was reported that the Sixers had interest in Brandin Podziemski at the 2026 trade deadline, and the best player they ended up trading was McCain.

It's easy to piece together that some type of McCain-for-Podz trade was explored.

Between Podz and McCain, I'd argue McCain has the better future, so if there was a straight-up swap on the table, it was a missed opportunity for Golden State.

It's also possible that the Sixers would have made the trade for the Warriors' 2026 first-round pick considering at the trade deadline, it was looking like it would land in the lottery.

This also feels like a missed opportunity for the Dubs. As strong as the 2026 class is, getting a player of McCain's caliber at No. 11 will be challenging.

There's One Player Like McCain in the Warriors' 2026 Draft Range

If the Warriors land Arizona's Brayden Burries, they might just have the NBA's next McCain.

Burries measured 6'3.75" at the combine, which means his most natural NBA position is shooting guard, just like McCain.

McCain measured 6'2" at the combine, so one could argue Burries is a slightly better prospect due mostly to having more defensive versatility with the extra height.

They both are great shooters who are better-suited as secondary ball-handlers.

In my latest mock draft, I have the Warriors taking Burries, but don't be surprised if he gets snagged before Golden State can take him.

If that happens, the Warriors still have a good chance to get a starting-level player, but they could regret not trading for McCain all the same.

Add us as a preferred source on Google