Daryl Morey said the Sixers ‘sold high’ on Jared McCain. Now, McCain is thriving while the Sixers stumble.
The Sixers sent Jared McCain to the Thunder for a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks. But he showed flashes just before the trade deadline that he could be a shooting threat.
The Sixers dropped their fourth consecutive game in a 126-115 loss to the Pelicans, who sit in the basement of the Western Conference, tanked by a bad third quarter and an atrocious shooting percentage from three.
The team shot 26% from three-point range, making just 12 of 46 attempts, led by the struggles of Tyrese Maxey, who went 2-for-11.
In February, Maxey has shot 31% from three-point range, and Kelly Oubre Jr. hasn’t been much better, shooting 33% from behind the arc. Without Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Sixers have even fewer offensive options to rely on.
At the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the Sixers sent Jared McCain to the Thunder for a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks. Daryl Morey asserted after the trade that he felt the Sixers “sold high” on McCain, who didn’t play a lot of minutes early in the year after missing the end of his rookie season with a meniscus tear and suffering a thumb injury in the summer.
But McCain showed flashes just before the trade deadline that he could be a shooting threat, shooting 57.7% from three in his final six games with the Sixers. And since joining the Thunder, McCain has continued to steadily improve, shooting 45% from three in his first five games in Oklahoma City, including a 21-point performance on Friday against the Nets with three made threes.
“I’m very comfortable with everybody now. They welcomed me. I’m just super thankful to be in this organization. It’s truly a blessing to come here and be able to have people who have succeeded at the highest level of basketball and still give me confidence and allow me to be myself,” McCain told reporters after Friday’s game. “That’s what I feel like I’m at my best. The people around me, when I’m surrounded by good energy, it comes right back to me. So I’m just grateful to be here.”
Time will tell whether Morey truly sold high on McCain, but right now, the Sixers are still searching for consistency and efficiency on offense without Embiid in the lineup.