Jared McCain
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Daryl Morey didn't hold back when explaining the 76ers' decision to trade Jared McCain
The Philadelphia 76ers, like many teams across the NBA, were active ahead of the trade deadline, which struck on Thursday afternoon. However, rather than adding to their current crop of players, the Sixers instead subtracted in an effort to save some money against the salary cap, as they dealt Eric Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies and Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Of these two deals, the Sixers’ decision to trade McCain just a year-and-a-half after drafting him was a bit of a surprise. In the eyes of general manager Daryl Morey, though, it wasn’t a particularly tough decision, as he took a parting shot at McCain after sending him to the Thunder in exchange for four draft picks.
Daryl Morey Doesn’t Hold Back When Discussing Jared McCain Trade
NBC Sports Philadelphia
“I’m quite confident we were selling high” 😐
Daryl Morey explains why the Sixers pulled the trigger on trading the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Jared McCain.
The 76ers selected McCain with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and right out of the gate, it looked like the team had a potential starter for their long-term future. While not much else went right for Philadelphia last year, McCain’s play during his brief 23-game stint, which saw him average 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 46% from the field, was a bright spot.
A meniscus tear in his left knee ended McCain’s season early, and he ended up missing the start of the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a thumb injury. Since returning to the floor, McCain hasn’t looked like his old self, as his numbers have plummeted (6.6 PPG, 2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 38.5 FG%), which is likely why he got traded in the first place.
While McCain is struggling, he’s only 21 years old, meaning there is still time for him to get back on track and realize his potential. Morey doesn’t see it that way, though, as he claimed that he believes the 76ers sold high on McCain, even though he is playing significantly worse than he was as a rookie.
“I’m quite confident we were selling high,” Morey bluntly said when discussing the McCain trade. “Obviously, time will tell … We weren’t looking to sell, I’ll be frank. Teams came to us with aggressive offers for him, and you could say, ‘Yeah, that’s because he’s a good player.’ I agree with that. We thought this return was above, for the future value for our franchise, what we could get. The only higher point would have been during his run last season.”
76ers Move Forward Without Jared McCain
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain dribbles the ball. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The winner of this trade won’t be known for quite some time, but it’s pretty surprising to see Morey speak so negatively of McCain, even when considering his poor play this season. McCain’s role from last season simply hasn’t existed, thanks in large part to the Sixers being healthier than they were last year, but one bad stretch in the wake of a slew of injuries isn’t necessarily a death sentence for the former Duke Blue Devils star.
This is the latest in a series of head-scratching moves from Morey, as the front office struggles to figure out whether or not they want to build around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, or if they want to blow things up. Right now, the team is simply treading water, and while it has shown signs of life, it’s going to take a deep playoff run this year to keep the pressure off Morey, and it remains to be seen if this team, as currently constructed, is capable of doing that.