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Sixers mailbag: What can Sixers get for the first-round pick acquired for Jared McCain, and how much does it matter?
When I put out my weekly call for Sixers mailbag questions, the batch of responses I receive usually serves as a pretty good indicator of where fans are at. And very predictably, the first call for questions after the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline generated a whole lot about the Sixers' decision to trade Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for draft picks.
McCain, 21, was a fan favorite in his short time with the Sixers, and now he has a serious chance to win a title with the defending champions. The Sixers traded him for a collection of picks that has been uninspiring to many, in part because the Sixers failed to utilize them or any other ones they own to bolster head coach Nick Nurse's rotation.
Jared McCain impacting Thunder in a way no one saw coming
In his two games with the OKC Thunder, Jared McCain has impressed with a level of shooting precision and quickness around the perimeter that the reigning champs have been desperately missing.
The former 76er has done his part in limited minutes, scoring a combined 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting in his two appearances.
However, while he has performed admirably, his presence has created a ripple effect, bringing another member of this team to life.
Isaiah Joe has been seeing nothing but net since McCain's arrival. In the two games with the new guard, Joe is averaging 20.0 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from downtown.
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Fact or Fiction: The Thunder won the trade deadline
Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
If nobody drastically improved at the NBA’s 2026 trade deadline, did the Oklahoma City Thunder — heavy betting favorites for this year’s championship, before and after — win it?
There were more winners and losers, of course, but in terms of the title picture — what actually matters this season — can anyone match the defending champions on talent?
After all, the Thunder were the only serious contender — and the only team with a winning record, in fact — to trade a first-round draft pick at the deadline. They traded one of their many first-round picks (probably the one belonging to the fourth-place Houston Rockets), along with a trio of second-rounders, to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jared McCain, who was in the Rookie of the Year conversation last season before surgery on a torn left meniscus.
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