OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCann cried when Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey traded him. The news came as a shock to the second-year guard, who celebrated his 22nd birthday in a city he never thought he’d call home. Still, McCann has shined since joining the Thunder. Amidst an increased role due to a plethora of injuries, he has been a constant source of inspiration off coach Mark Daigneault’s bench.
McCann is averaging 14.0 points on 50.0% shooting, including 50% from deep on 9 of 18 attempts, along with 3.5 rebounds in 21.2 minutes over his last four games with the Thunder. He scored 10 points to go along with a season-high 21 points in a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets, including a pair of threes, three rebounds and a steal in Sunday’s 121-113 win against the Cleveland Cavs.
Without All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe joined the Thunder’s starting lineup, while McCann and Jaylin Williams combined to lead the bench with 20 points. Against a healthy Cavs team led by All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and James Harden, Joe’s 22 points, including six threes and a career-high five steals, led the Thunder to victory.
After the win, Joe explained how the addition of McCann has opened up creative opportunities for the Thunder’s offense, which is finding ways to win without three of its top four scorers.
“It puts the defense in a dilemma whether to help or not, and it kind of creates driving lanes, even when they went box-and-1, and they made that run, we were still getting really good looks,” Joe said. “I think Lou got some wide-open shots – Jay-Will, Chet. The shots didn’t fall, but given that severity, we just try to find ways to either get looks, take shots, and a lot of times it creates opportunities for other guys, and creates other opportunities for everybody else.”
Joe is 33 of 65 (50.8%) from deep in February, including 18 of 31 in his last four games. The Thunder have won four of their last five tries without Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Mitchell. Meanwhile, the Sixers are leading 1-4.
Jared McCann felt ‘all the emotions’ after trade with Thunder
76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was confident about trading Jared McCann to the Thunder for a 2026 first-round pick and two future second-round picks. While the 76ers had a bit of a logjam at the guard position, as rookie VJ Edgecombe took over a dominant role over McCann, many fans felt it was too early to give up on the second-year guard.
Moray felt differently and wasn’t afraid to say itAs they did, according to NBC Sports Philly.
Morey said, “I’m pretty confident we were selling high. Obviously, time will tell, but the only other high point, and we weren’t looking to sell, I would say frankly.” “Teams came to us with aggressive offers for him, and you can say, yes, it’s because he’s a good player. I agree with that. We thought this return was above what we could have gotten, for the future value to our franchise. So the only high point would have been his performance last season. But otherwise, we think we’ve done well this time.”
“I’m pretty sure we were selling high” 😐
Daryl Morey explains why the Sixers pulled the trigger on trading the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Jared McCann. pic.twitter.com/DM6qJyzmPk
– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) 6 February 2026
McCain couldn’t believe it. He revealed how he found out about his trading days after the deal was made.
“We were all on the bus to the airport, and I just got a call. I had no idea. I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen. There was nothing, and I got the call, and just went and told everybody. I went to Tyrese [Maxey] First of all, and it was very emotional,” McCain said.
However, his confidence never wavered after the 76ers said a hollow goodbye to Daryl Morey after trading McCann before this year’s deadline.
McCain said, “I allow myself to feel all the emotions. It’s natural. Give myself grace through the process.” “But you move fast. I got to L.A. and then had to come straight here. It’s a little bit of both. It’s a balance you have to work on.”
The Thunder will travel to face the Raptors on Tuesday.
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