Jared McCain Reacts to Morey Trading Him from 76ers in New Video After Thunder Win Game 3 vs. Spurs

After playing a significant role in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 123-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night, guard Jared McCain reflected on getting traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Thunder in February.

Speaking to reporters after he dropped 24 points off the bench, McCain said, "It's never to prove anybody wrong. A lot of my stuff is I try to keep a positive outlook. I like proving my support system right. The people who really believe in me, I like proving them right. No matter what it is, I got traded, I'm always trying to keep a positive outlook. No matter what, [Sixers former president of basketball operations] Daryl [Morey] is still the guy that drafted me, so I'll always have love for him for that. He trusted me, believed in me enough to take me at the 16th spot, so I'm forever grateful for that, no matter what."

The Thunder sent a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks to the 76ers in exchange for McCain, and the move has paid dividends, as the 22-year-old has finished with double digits in scoring off the bench in five of OKC's past seven playoff games.

Thunder-Spurs Highlights

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Originally selected 16th overall in the 2024 NBA draft out of Duke, McCain burst onto the scene as a rookie.

Although his debut season was cut short after just 23 games, he averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 three-pointers made per contest, and he still finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting.

McCain had a far smaller role this season in Philly, though, and averaged only 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 three-pointers made in 37 games.

After the trade to OKC, McCain saw his playing time increase slightly from 16.8 minutes per game to 18.0, and his offensive production improved as well.

McCain went from averaging 6.6 points per game, shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc to averaging 10.4 points, while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from deep in his 30 regular-season games with the Thunder.

Although much of the focus was on star players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams when the Thunder entered the playoffs, McCain has played an important role with 9.2 points per game off the bench.

Also, even though he went just 2-for-10 from three-point range in Game 3 against the Spurs, McCain is still shooting 41.3 percent on three-pointers during the playoffs, providing a much-needed offensive spark among the reserve unit.

The Thunder are 10-1 thus far during the playoffs, and they hold a 2-1 series lead over the Spurs, meaning they are two wins away from a second consecutive NBA Finals appearance.

As for the Sixers, they were swept by the New York Knicks in the second round after beating the Boston Celtics in the first round, and Morey was fired from his president of basketball operations role last week.