The criticism directed toward the Philadelphia 76ers over the Jared McCain trade just won't go away.
The Philadelphia 76ers rather surprisingly made the decision to move on from second-year guard Jared McCain at this year's trade deadline.
Fast forward less than a month after the deal, and the decision to cut ties with McCain looks worse than ever. The 22-year-old is averaging 11.6 points on 44.9% shooting and 44.1% shooting from three-point range in eight appearances for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He had his second highest-scoring game for the Thunder on Wednesday, recording 20 points on 6 of 16 shooting in a 124-116 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
This performance led to even more criticism directed toward 76ers president Daryl Morey and company from NBA fans:
@sportsdemon9: "Philly traded him for a bag of chips"
@tommyburnah15: "why did the 76ers trade him?"
@vaughnfromthchi: "I never understood his [Morey's] decision making on this move, how do you sell high on a 2nd year player who’s coming off of a injury"
@backinthegam3: "BUT I WAS TOLD WE TRADED HIM AT HIS PEAK!!!! Sixers always gonna Sixer."
@K1utchSzn: "Philly traded McCain to save money and hes dropping 20 off the bench for the defending champs... Sixers fans sick right now"
Morey, after the McCain trade, claimed the team "sold high" on the sophomore guard despite receiving just the Houston Rockets' 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks.
Time will tell if this return package ends up better than McCain, but the odds are not in Philadelphia's favor so far.
The 76ers dealing McCain left them with three rotation-worthy guards: Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes. It didn't take long for the front office to realize trading McCain left a hole in their backcourt, as they signed 10-year NBA veteran Cameron Payne to a rest-of-season contract not long after. Payne is averaging just 2.5 points and 2.3 assists in four games played with the 76ers this season.
It's clear 76ers fans are not happy with the choice to trade McCain and won't let the front office hear the end of it.
Join The 76ersRoundtable Community
Head over to the 76ersRoundtable page and hit the "Join" button under the featured story... it's completely FREE! You'll have the opportunity to engage with other 76ers fans who live and breathe the team, share your thoughts on the organization, and more. If you're asked to sign up or download the Roundtable app... that's free too.
Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.