The OKC Thunder have been far from quiet this offseason, as they've now made three separate trades in a span of just four weeks.
While these moves were primarily motivated by financial incentives, especially the recent Lu Dort deal that now officially has Oklahoma City below the second apron threshold heading into next year, a sub-plot of these transactions is that they now open up brand new opportunities for several remaining players.
Though most of the attention is being directed at Cason Wallace, as Dort's departure now clears out a direct path for him to become the full-time starting two guard in the Thunder lineup, Jared McCain may actually prove to be one of the biggest winners of all from Sam Presti's wheeling and dealing ways this summer.
Jared McCain should be in line for a major uptick in usage with Thunder
With Wallace slated to head to the first-five lineup and both Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe now on different teams, the Thunder bench will now need some of their remaining talents to take over their vacated workload heading into the new season.
Many may think Ajay Mitchell will be the main beneficiary of these newfound opportunities. After all, he is the bench's breakout stud from last season.
However, considering he already usurped the likes of Wiggins and Joe and established himself as Oklahoma City's top sixth man last year, it's more likely that his job will remain rather unchanged by the moves.
Those behind him in the pecking order, however, should be the ones in line for an increased on-court role, with McCain being the most obvious choice for extra usage.
After arriving ahead of the February trade deadline, the combo guard quickly established himself as a promising offensive weapon within Oklahoma City's second unit.
With his highly efficient long-range shooting stroke and aggressive nature when attacking the lane, McCain wrapped up his second-half stint with the Thunder by posting solid averages of 10.4 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the floor and 39.1 percent shooting from deep.
This level of production earned him the trust of coach Mark Daigneault during their 2026 postseason run, especially when injuries started to pile up in rounds two and three, where he logged 21.5 minutes a night and dropped 12.5 points on 38.5 percent shooting from deep along the way.
He would also see two 20-plus-point games during the high-stakes Western Conference Finals and played a major role in the Thunder initially taking a 3-2 series lead over San Antonio in his first-ever playoff start during the club's down-to-the-wire Game 5 win.
After his stretch with OKC last year, it was already undeniable that McCain proved himself worthy of earning more responsibilities within the rotation during his second go-around campaign.
Now, by offloading three key players at his very position, the Thunder have opened the door for him to come across exactly that in 2026-27.
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