76ers’ trade of Jared McCain is latest example of mismanagement by franchise, Daryl Morey

Well, this is awkward. It shouldn’t be, of course. It should have been impossible to mess up the vibes in Philadelphia when the 76ers lucked into VJ Edgecombe with the third pick and paired him with Tyrese Maxey in a feel-good backcourt for the present and future. This season, which started with low-to-no expectations, should have continued as a playing-with-house-money situation for the Sixers, where everyone from the fans to the front office was just happy to be in the Eastern Conference playoff mix and see what might unfold. 

And it was going that way — until it wasn’t. And everyone should have known better. After covering that team up close for years, I should have known better. They’re the Sixers, after all. Even when things are going well, they will invariably find some rakes to step on. They can’t help themselves.

After getting blown out by the San Antonio Spurs at home on Tuesday — making them the first team in NBA history to lose three home games by 40 points or more in a season — Maxey was asked about his old pal and teammate Jared McCain, who has been playing well since being traded to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s played so well that Sixers fans haven’t stopped grumbling about why he was shipped out in the first place, and plenty of people around the league have noted that the Thunder have once again added what appears to be a useful piece to a roster already loaded with them. 

“I ain’t going to lie and say I don’t miss Jared [McCain],” Maxey told reporters Tuesday night. “But I’m happy for him. I’m happy for him. I watch him in OKC and hope he does well every single night, except for when he plays us.” 

So far, McCain is doing very well indeed. In Philly this season, he averaged 6.6 points in a little under 17 minutes per game with 48.3 eFG% — well off the numbers he put up in his first year that catapulted him to the front of the Rookie of the Year race before a meniscus tear ended his season after only 23 games. McCain then injured his thumb before this season, further delaying his comeback. When he returned, Edgecombe was safely ensconced in the starting lineup and Quentin Grimes, acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks last season, was coach Nick Nurse’s preferred first guard option off the bench. 

Suddenly, minutes were hard to come by for McCain — which was part of the justification that general manager Daryl Morey used in trading him to OKC. The other explanation was that the offer was too good to pass up. In return for McCain, the Sixers received a late first-round pick in the 2026 draft (via the Houston Rockets) and three second-rounders. 

“I’m quite confident that we were selling high. Obviously time will tell,” Morey said after making the move. “We weren’t looking to sell. Teams came to us with aggressive offers for him. We thought this return was above the future value for our franchise. The only higher point would’ve been during his run last season.”

The sell-high comment got a lot of attention. From a purely dispassionate perspective, Morey might have had a point. Jaren Jackson, Anthony Davis and Ivica Zubac were the only other players to command first-round picks at the trade deadline. By those comparisons, the return on investment for McCain was pretty good. But from a public relations and interpersonal perspective, the comments came off as cold. 

A lot of people noticed. McCain was one of them. He told NBA reporter Jake Fischer that Morey called to tell him he’d been traded, recounting that the discussion was brief. “He’s like that, though,” McCain said.  

“I don’t think he meant any harm from it,” McCain told Fischer about the “selling high” remarks. “I just kind of take it as: That’s his job. And if he feels that’s the best decision [for the organization], then that’s his decision. But obviously I’m gonna have confidence in myself.”

Since landing in Oklahoma City, McCain’s confidence has been on display. In 11 games with the Thunder, McCain is averaging 12.5 points in 20 minutes with a career-best 59.2 eFG%. He has roughly doubled his points per game with only a slight uptick in minutes with a shooting efficiency that’s better than his rookie run. You know who could use a player like that off the bench? The Sixers.

Except we were led to believe that the Sixers didn’t have any minutes to give him. You know who shouldn’t have any minutes available because they have a glut of guards and wings? The Thunder. But OKC is putting McCain to good use on a team that already features Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Ajay Mitchell, among others. Sure, some of those players have been dealing with injury issues, which opened up playing time for McCain. But it says a lot about the Thunder that they were able to slot McCain into the rotation with ease and get quality production out of him. And even when the Thunder are fully healthy, it’s not hard to imagine OKC figuring out a way to keep McCain in the mix.

Meanwhile, the Sixers are running cover about selling high on McCain and hinting at trying to make shadow moves that never developed. On Wednesday, Yahoo Sports reported that Morey was “star hunting” at the deadline, with Kawhi Leonard’s name floated in the rumor, “but nothing happened.” The cynics among us, myself included, might find the timing of leaking that kind of thing awfully convenient. McCain is playing very well, but the offer was too good to say no to, and besides, it could have led to Kawhi. There’s a certain logic to that spin, but good luck selling it to the Philly faithful or any objective neutral who has watched McCain flourish with the Thunder.

That the Sixers sold at the deadline has been a particular sore spot in Philly, and not just with the fans. Joel Embiid — who has looked excellent when available and is trying to remain upright and healthy for a playoff push — previously told the media that he hoped the Sixers would add rather than subtract.

“Obviously, we’ve been ducking the [luxury] tax the last couple of years,” Embiid said before the deadline. At the time, he noted “the vibes are great” and added, “hopefully we think about improving because we have a chance.”

Instead of improving, the Sixers did what they’ve done time and again — duck the tax. (If that was the only goal, there were other ways to accomplish it while retaining McCain.) That saved billionaire majority governor Josh Harris some money. Maybe he’s happy about that. No one else outside of the owner’s box or the front office seems to be, though. 

How the Sixers (mis)handled the McCain situation has been a full-on faceplant in almost every respect for the organization. Nurse failed to find minutes and carve out a regular role in the rotation for him — something OKC instantly accomplished. Morey cut bait, but did it in a way that came off as cruel, or at least callous, and without any regard for the obviously negative optics. And ownership once again prioritized its bottom line over the standings and trying to make a run in an Eastern Conference that’s as wide open as it’s ever been. 

Embiid was right. The vibes were great. They seem less great now.