It's been said about a thousand times already, but I'll make it a thousand and one; the Thunder acquiring Jared McCain for a pick that was essentially useless to them is one of the most brilliant trade deadline coups in recent memory. In his first few weeks with the team, McCain has already proven to be a seamless fit, knocking down 40 percent of his 3-point attempts and playing better defense than he was exptected to as an undersized guard.
How McCain is getting those shots, though, is fascinating. He and center Isaiah Hartenstein quicky developed chemistry on dribble handoffs... If you can even call this a dribble handoff. The duo looks like two guys who have played together for years, not weeks.
If you squint enough, you might be able to see Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Well, maybe not quite. But that duo is who McCain credited with helping him feel comfortable running a play like this during practice earlier this week, also adding that, "Playing with Hart, J-Will and Chet, they’re all elite bigs. I’m excited to play with them.”
Jared McCain on if he has played alongside a big man who can make screening a highlight play like Isaiah Hartenstein:
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) March 17, 2026
“It’s crazy. When I was in Philly, Joel would do that with Tyrese and I was like ‘Dang, that’s really cool right there.’ So being able to be a part of it is… pic.twitter.com/vTsyiC1P4u
While you're giving your daily thanks to Daryl Morey, make sure you throw Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in there, too, as they prepped McCain for his time with I-Hart, apparently. They probably didn't realize they were prepping McCain to use the same move on a different team, but blame Morey for that one, too.
Jared McCain's shooting and movement would fit anywhere
So Thunder fans should be happy he's on Oklahoma City. McCain's skillset — that of a movement shooter and slasher — will always be helpful in the NBA, even if the anti-guard propaganda has been strengthening in recent years.
McCain will likely never be a ball-dominant creator in an offense. That's just fine for the Thunder, who already have a few of those. McCain scoring an efficient 11 to 15 points every night for the next five years is just what this team will need from him, and if his chemistry with Hartenstein and the rest of the team keeps growing, he should be able to do just that.
The NBA world may never understand why the 76ers made this deal last month. And while other teams will think back on it with disdain as McCain becomes a key contributor (which he is obviously going to be), Thunder fans will remember the day with fondness.