76ers, Thunder's Updated Rosters, Salary Cap, NBA Draft Picks After Jared McCain Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly are moving on from a promising member of their young core.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Sixers traded second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks. Acquiring McCain gives the Thunder a backcourt depth chart that now looks like this:

• PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain
• SG: Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe

ESPN's Bobby Marks explained the salary cap impact, as the Sixers are now $3 million below the luxury tax while adding four future draft picks, giving them two first-round selections this summer.

Luckily for the Thunder, they had multiple first-round draft picks in 2026 to play with in potential trades. They will have the more favorable first-round selection from the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers, with the other one going to the Washington Wizards, per Spotrac. Also, while Oklahoma City is over the salary cap, the team remains under both the first and second luxury tax aprons after Wednesday's trade.

Adding McCain gives the Thunder some much-needed backcourt depth, as Charania reported that star guard and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an abdominal strain and will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break. Backup point guard Ajay Mitchell also hasn't played since Jan. 21 while dealing with the same injury.

The No. 16 pick in the 2024 draft, McCain was one of the early surprises of the 2024-25 season. He averaged 15.3 points in 23 games and earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for October. Unfortunately, his rookie year was cut short by a torn meniscus in December, which forced him to undergo season-ending surgery the following month.

McCain was expected to be an impact player for Philadelphia this season, but he was forced to undergo surgery once again in October to repair a tear in the UCL of his right thumb. He missed the first month of the 2025-26 campaign and has averaged just 6.6 points in 37 appearances since returning to the court.

Oklahoma City is chasing a second straight NBA championship this year, so the team is certainly hoping that the addition of McCain can help stabilize things until Gilgeous-Alexander and company return to full health for the stretch run before the playoffs.