B/R gives the 76ers a failing grade for the Jared McCain trade done back at the NBA trade deadline
The Philadelphia 76ers are still facing criticism following the NBA trade deadline, when the team dealt Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The deal has been met with widespread criticism from fans and analysts, especially after McCain began to find his footing with the Thunder.
In Bleacher Report's updated NBA trade deadline grades, NBA writer Dan Favale has given the 76ers an F for the McCain trade after initially receiving a D+.
“Anyone pretending the Sixers didn't make the Jared McCain trade purely because of the luxury tax is officially kidding themselves. Every move they made thereafter could still have been executed with him on the payroll… if they were willing to pay the tax,” Favale wrote.
Favale continued, "Spare yourself the pretzel-twisting trouble of arguing that Philly didn't have the runway to develop or optimize McCain because of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes. A team with too many guards doesn't turn around and sign Cameron Payne, and Oklahoma City is still finding minutes for McCain despite having a bunch of backcourt bodies itself. This was a brazenly cheap-[expletive] move then. It's even less defensible now as McCain kills it with the Thunder.”
McCain's recent performances have only intensified scrutiny of the trade. The second-year guard has a string of strong performances for the Thunder since the trade deadline, including a 20-point performance against the Chicago Bulls back on March 1st, showcasing his scoring prowess.
More importantly, McCain has found his shooting form after a slow start with the 76ers.
While the 76ers remain focused on their roster and competing in a crowded Eastern Conference, the decision to move off of McCain can continue to be questionable.
For now it remains one of the more baffling moves made by current 76ers president Daryl Morey and the rest of the front office, and McCain's early success in OKC amplifies that.
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Elijah Hamilton is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable.