Thunder trade for Jared McCain in roster shuffle

Per reports, the Thunder have traded Houston's 2026 first round pick and three future second round picks to acquire Jared McCain from the 76ers. Oklahoma City also swapped Ousmane Dieng for Charlotte's Mason Plumlee in a three-team deal sending Dieng to Chicago.

McCain was selected 16th by Philadelphia in the 2024 draft and showed extraordinary promise last year, leading all rookies in scoring and three-point proficiency (15.3 points per game, 2.2 threes made on 38.3% shooting from deep) before a torn left meniscus cut his debut season short. His sophomore season has been a different story. McCain has struggled mightily in his return from that knee injury, which was compounded by an offseason UCL tear in his right thumb (McCain is ambidextrous, but shoots with his right hand). He's scored 6.6 points per game while shooting just 38.5% from the floor in 2025-26, receiving multiple G League assignments and struggling to earn playing time for the Sixers.

Oklahoma City's shooting–especially on the perimeter–has been average and often unreliable, and McCain has an opportunity to immediately make his mark: the Thunder announced today that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an abdominal strain that will sideline him until after the All-Star break, and Ajay Mitchell remains out with an injured abdominal as well.

But with just 60 injury-riddled games played before his 22nd birthday, and a shaky defensive profile at best, it's better to view McCain as a long-term project than a playoff-ready contributor. With recent trades presumably improving the Jazz (who owe a top-8 protected pick to OKC) and hurting the Clippers (who owe a pick swap to OKC), the Thunder were facing the prospect of adding three first round projects in the 2026 draft. Thunder VP & GM Sam Presti has opted to deal one of those picks and nab a young player early. Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber, and McCain are at worst a well pedigreed, mini-farm system of hurt-but-promising young (and affordable) talent for the Thunder's championship roster.

Plumlee will be waived, and nothing else has been reported as incoming to OKC from Charlotte or Chicago. When the dust settles, the Thunder will have replaced Dieng with McCain, keeping the roster full. One of the second-rounders Presti dealt to Philly was attached to swap rights with Dallas in the 2028 draft. Whether Philly will get the better end of that swap has yet to be revealed, but I'd assume they will.