Jared McCain bids farewell to Philly and embraces the next chapter in OKC

On Feb. 4, a day before the NBA trade deadline, the Twitter notification heard 'round the world left Philadelphia 76ers fans in a state of utter shock. Jared McCain had been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he'd join the reigning champs. In return, the Sixers received Houston's 2026 first-round pick and three future second-round picks.

Days later, Daryl Morey would express his confidence that Philadelphia "sold high" on the sophomore guard, whose numbers declined precipitously upon his return from knee surgery, which coincided with the rocket-like ascent of VJ Edgecombe next to Tyrese Maxey.

FanSided spoke to McCain from NBA All-Star Weekend, where Panini America is hosting him at the Panini Prizm VIP lounge. He elaborated on how the trade went down and what's he is most looking forward to in OKC. He also left a bittersweet parting message for Sixers fans.

Jared McCain on his number change and a whirlwind trade deadline

The conversation started with McCain reminiscing on collecting trading cards as a kid.

"Yeah, yeah, I mean, with Panini, it's kind of funny. I've been with them — it feels like a really long time now, but I guess it's only been since college," he said. "It seems longer than it is. I'm just really proud to be with them. Being able to be on a card is a dream come true. It's one of those things where you collect them as a kid. I used to collect them with my brother and to now see myself on it. It's one of those full circle moments that really can make your life."

McCain's brother also factored into his recent number change. After wearing No. 20 in Philly, the second-year guard decided to change things up in OKC. He considered No. 30, a nod to Stephen Curry, but instead went with No. 3.

"I feel like it looks good," McCain said of the new single-digit jersey. "My brother used to wear No. 3 when he was younger too, so paying homage to him as well."

In four games with OKC before the All-Star break, McCain settled in nicely. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds on .448/.429/.833 splits in 18.5 minutes, sparking a particularly harmonious partnership with another Sixers castoff in Isaiah Joe.

McCain has steadily seen his playing time and production increase in recent weeks, even before the trade. After rehabbing from a meniscus tear in 2024 and a nagging wrist injury earlier this season, he's starting to move and feel like his old self.

"I think it's definitely still a buildup," McCain said, when asked if he's back to 100 percent. "Like, there's still things with my knee, like just playing in back-to-backs or playing in, you know, four games in however many days. It's definitely, you can get sore and, you know, getting that strength back. It's gonna take more time."

While he still has work to do, McCain is optimistic about his outlook this season and beyond, health-wise.

"So I feel like [my body] can move great and I feel like I'm still at a great spot right now, but there's always room for improvement, especially just the whole left side of my body. It's still going to take time, but we're getting there and I'm excited and hopeful for my progress."

McCain is excited to learn from the reigning MVP

McCain spent the first year and a half of his NBA career around some very talented guards. Tyrese Maxey was a fast friend, whom McCain's work ethic and jovial persona meshed with perfectly. There was also Kyle Lowry, a six-time All-Star and former NBA champ, who became McCain's vet. A valuable mentor who also co-starred in a few memorable TikTok videos.

This season, VJ Edgecombe joined the mix. When asked about his future with Maxey and the upside of Philadelphia's backcourt, Edgecombe would go out of his way to mention McCain, too. There was genuine camaraderie, with a shared passion for full-tilt competition.

Now, McCain joins a backcourt that happens to feature the reigning NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While McCain hasn't been able to share the floor yet with SGA, who's currently injured, he expects to gleam a lot from this new partnership.

When asked what he learn from SGA, McCain was blunt: "I mean, pretty much everything."

He then expanded: "[Shai is] one of those guys where I really love his process and how he goes about things, and so just kind of watching what he does every day, you know, how he plays, how he prepares. [I'm] really interested in seeing his mindset, too; just being able to ask him questions, being the MVP, is going to be huge for me. So I'm just excited to learn and get to know him."

This is all very new to McCain, of course. He was on the bus, heading to the plane for L.A., with his Sixers teammate when the news broke. It came completely out of left field.

"We were all on the bus," he said. "We were heading back to LA from San Francisco, going to the airport, and then, yeah, about five minutes into the bus ride, I get a call from the GM and he—"

There's a brief but loaded pause.

"They traded me."

It's safe to say McCain is still processing it all.

"I went to tell Tyrese [Maxey] and then [it] kind of just spread throughout the bus. They all thought I was lying at first and then it actually came out. And, yeah, it was, you know, definitely a pretty emotional. It's been a pretty emotional week for me in general. Still kind of in shock of everything, just in terms of what has happened even after they traded me."

It has been a chaotic couple of weeks for McCain, to say the least. He hasn't had much time to settle in yet, but he's excited about his new situation.

"I think [it was] two days [in OKC] and then we left on a road trip and then now I came right back here [to Los Angeles] for All-Stars, so haven't done too much exploring. Still got to find a place to live, but it seems like great vibes. You know, the team and the organization has been nothing but welcoming and amazing to me. So, I'm grateful to be in my new spot and get to learn the city a bit more."

As for the basketball fit, McCain's unique talent for shooting and off-ball movement has been a natural fit. He has enjoyed, in particular, his fit alongside OKC's big men.

"It's been really cool just to play with, you know, different kinds of players and [in] a different offense, of course. Being able to play with like [Isaiah Hartenstein] and [Chet Holmgren] and [Jaylin Williams], being able to make those passes in in those tight areas, through back cuts, through drives. It's been really beneficial. And I think that's why it helps shooters and helps me and Isaiah Joe and [Aaron Wiggins] coming off and then shooting the 3 off the dribble handoffs."

McCain says goodbye to the City of Brotherly Love

McCain is ready for what promises to be an eventful new chapter in Oklahoma City. He's suddenly a favorite to win the NBA championship, battling for minutes in a loaded backcourt that includes not only SGA, but a wealth of quality role players like Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace.

While McCain is ready to put an unexpected and unfortunate Sixers breakup behind him (just listen to his All-Star weekend diss track), he still has love for the city and the fans. He ended our interview with a heartfelt message to the Philly faithful and the organization as a whole:

"Oh, man. I mean, it's one of those things where it's the place I was drafted to, like that's always gonna be a place I go back to and have love for. And I'm just grateful for the fans embracing me. With all the stuff I do on social media, they still embraced me and saw all the effort and energy I put into the game and I'm just super grateful for the energy they gave back to, you know, the support throughout my injuries and coming back from injury. It was an amazing time. It was cut short and, you know, I didn't — we all didn't, or I didn't — expect it. Some people didn't expect it, but I'm still forever grateful for the Sixers fans and anybody out in Philly who's helped me."

He recalled strolling through the streets of Philadelphia as a rookie

"Me and my best friend would just go walk on the streets [and] the stores and we lived in the city for the first year and it was just great, great vibes. I'm definitely gonna miss it and I'm gonna miss the Philly fans, of course."

You can listen to the full interview on The Sixer Sense Podcast.

You can find new releases like Panini Donruss Basketball and Panini Signature Series Basketball at Walmart, Target, hobby stores nationwide and at www.PaniniAmerica.net.