The OKC Thunder pulled off the biggest surprise of the 2026 trade season so far by striking on a deal for sophomore, Jared McCain.
Per Shams Charania, Oklahoma City has acquired the guard from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks.
On the surface, this deal seems to be a low-risk, high-reward move for the reigning champions, as McCain showed flashes of stardom during his debut campaign just a season ago by dropping stellar averages of 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 boards on 46.0 percent shooting from the floor and 38.3 percent shooting from distance before being shelved 23 games in with a torn UCL joint.
However, when looking at the big picture, there's a case to be made that this trade shows that Sam Presti and company are deeply concerned about the Thunder's injury woes moving forward.
Injuries have taken their toll on Thunder here in 2025-26
Over the past two seasons, the Thunder have been plagued by widespread injuries.
In 2024-25, it was their frontcourt that was hit hardest, with key pieces like Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, and Kenrich Williams all missing significant time following respective chomps from the injury bug.
Here in 2025-26, it's their backcourt rotation that's been reeling.
From Alex Caruso's myriad of ailments to Ajay Mitchell having missed the last six games and counting as a result of a nagging abdominal strain, OKC's guard depth has constantly been hit with unfortunate health-related updates all throughout their championship defense tour.
Heck, just minutes after word broke on the McCain trade, it was revealed that superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sustained an abdominal strain himself during Tuesday's matchup against the Orlando Magic, and that he'll be re-evaluated following the All-Star break.
Even before these issues began piling up, it was believed that the Thunder could use more ball-handlers and offensive creators within their reserves. Now, with Mitchell and Gilgeous-Alexander hobbled and shut down, OKC is in more need than ever for such contributions.
At 40-11, the Thunder have the luxury of being far and away the top team in the association from a record standpoint, and, with the All-Star break right around the corner, they'll have plenty of cushion separating them from the rest of the competition as they look to chase their second straight title.
However, even with these fortunes in place, Presti and company clearly seem to believe these backcourt injury woes could linger for the remainder of the season.
Pulling off an unconventional move like trading for McCain mid-year is a telltale sign of this being the case.