Jared McCain's regrets are increasing as he watches the Oklahoma City Thunder's playoff success after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers. His performance has shown that the Thunder may have made a significant gain with this acquisition.
76ers' Jared McCain regrets are growing amid Thunder playoff run originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The reality is that the Philadelphia 76ers didn't have to trade Jared McCain.
They sent him to the Oklahoma City Thunder midway through this season mostly because he didn't have a present spot in their rotation.
But at this point, McCain has proven that OKC probably got a steal.
On Thursday night, for example, McCain needed just 18 minutes to score 18 points as the Thunder took a 2-0 series lead on the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The 76ers' decision to trade McCain is always going to be a curious one.
He was a leader in the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year race before an injury ended his season prematurely.
By the time he got back in 2025-26, the 76ers basically didn't make room for him to play substantial minutes. He wasn't great in limited action, but he was also likely rusty and not getting much chance to shake that off.
The 76ers traded Jared McCain to the Thunder because he did not have a current spot in their rotation.
Since joining the Thunder, Jared McCain has demonstrated strong performance, leading to speculation that the Thunder made a great acquisition.
The Thunder's playoff run is causing Jared McCain to reflect on his trade, as he regrets not being part of the 76ers during their postseason struggles.
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Given the Thunder's successes at maximizing player talent in recent years, you had to assume they knew what they were doing in acquiring McCain, and that certainly looks to be the case.
Philly is still in the playoffs, too, and maybe they still wouldn't have a ton of minutes for McCain right at this moment. But given his youth and rookie contract, McCain could've still had value for the 76ers going forward, and instead, he's helping the Thunder.