The Philadelphia 76ers drew major flak when they made a firm stance on Jared McCain before the trade deadline, shipping him away to the Thunder for draft capital. It was met with a lot of derision, especially since Daryl Morey himself later admitted that it was done in anticipation of another move to improve the roster — an undertaking that never transpired.
For many, that was the primary reason why the 76ers pulled the plug on the McCain experience early. However, to be frank, such justification is only secondary to the unerring truth surrounding the trade, which is that the team simply refused to run the risk of having his market value wane moving forward.
As constructed, Philly does not have the infrastructure to hand McCain the role he just had last season. Aside from the fact that injuries significantly slowed down his growth, the 76ers are now under different circumstances such that the need for the sophomore guard — even for the immediate future — has declined.
The 76ers traded Jared McCain for a very good reason
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With VJ Edgecombe now solidly tethered to the halls of the franchise as their future cornerstone, McCain quickly became a luxury. In the back of their minds, the 76ers brain trust envisaged that it was the perfect time to liquidate him. Lo and behold, they found a perfect bidder in Oklahoma City, which has the needed assets and which could tolerate the positional overlaps that McCain presents due to their unique roster construction.
No one would be upset had Philly opted to keep McCain, but given his current stature and probable role for the future, there stood a good possibility that he tanks his value due to his modest exposure on the hardwood. And of course, as he drew closer to the expiry of his rookie-scale deal, teams would be much more wary about making a trade for him.
The 76ers gave up on Jared McCain early. [They also got really great value](https://thesixersense.com/76ers-get-last-laugh-as-quiet-truth-on-jared-mccain-trade-emerges) from the Thunder. Both statements can be true. But one should not be too disingenuous to just disregard the sensible license that allowed the front office to stomach and actually pull off such a gutsy move.
This trade has left and will continue to leave a bitter taste for many, which is perfectly fine. However, given the new circumstances the 76ers find themselves in, they have more reason to look forward to capitalizing on what they got for him in return.