"The Oklahoma City Thunder are... trading away one of their zillion picks for contemporary talent? Strange, but true! In a surprise pre-deadline move, Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Oklahoma City is acquiring second-year combo guard Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for their rights to the Houston Rockets' 2026 first-round pick and three seconds. Sources inform Jake Fischer of The Stein Line that the Thunder may not be done dealing."
"This season, McCain went under the knife for an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right thumb at the start of October, which caused him to miss some early action in Philadelphia. The 21-year-old has seen his role reduced thanks to the advent of rookie shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe and the ascendance of two-time All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt."
"Adding McCain may serve as short-term insurance in the backcourt for Oklahoma City. Four-time All-Star starting point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, has incurred an abdominal strain and will be shelved at least through the All-Star break in two weeks, per Charania. McCain looked like a frontrunner to earn Rookie of the Year honors last season after he was selected outside of the lottery, with the No. 16 pick, following a year at Duke."
Oklahoma City acquired second-year combo guard Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for their rights to the Houston Rockets' 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks. The Thunder may also trade reserve small forward Ousmane Dieng to the Charlotte Hornets for veteran center Mason Plumlee. The McCain addition is intended as short-term backcourt insurance while four-time All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recovers from an abdominal strain expected to sideline him through the All-Star break. McCain's early career has been interrupted by a rookie meniscus tear and an October thumb UCL repair, and his role in Philadelphia shrank amid the rise of V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey. Across 37 healthy games in 2025-26 he averaged 6.6 points in 16.8 minutes, down from 15.3 points as a rookie. McCain will compete for minutes on an already crowded Thunder backcourt as the team pursues another championship run.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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