"I'm quite confident we were selling high" - Daryl Morey after trading away Jared McCain at the deadline.
That was not only borderline classless but also wildly inaccurate.
McCain had a promising rookie season in Philadelphia, but he hit a sophomore slump in part due to injury. I understand the 76ers' decision to make McCain available as they were set on building around the exciting new backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe. But rather than letting McCain get relatively healthy and increase his trade value with resurgent production, they traded him at the deadline. The definition of selling low.
76ers clearly sold low on Jared McCain
McCain may have been part of a historically weak 2024 draft class, but he was still a recent No. 16 overall pick. This was a rich got richer move, as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder acquired McCain at the deadline in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick (via Houston) and three second-round picks.
A late first-round pick to land a mid-first-round selection who has already proven himself in the league. That is essentially pocket change for a team like the Thunder, loaded with future assets. It's also almost unheard of, especially considering McCain is just 22 and continues his upward ascent.
His production has even increased since coming over to Oklahoma City, carving out a role on arguably the deepest team in the league. McCain has been incredibly effective in limited stretches, averaging 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in just 17.3 minutes per game. Most importantly for a team like Portland, he's shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Blazers should've traded for Jared McCain at the deadline
He may not have been the immediate answer for Portland's lack of star power to catch up in the Western Conference. But McCain would have been the exact perfect move on the margins that they needed. The Blazers were hoping to find a similar boost in the trade deadline acquisition of Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks, but unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. Krejci has struggled since coming to Portland and even fell out of Tiago Splitter's postseason rotation.
Meanwhile, McCain is literally turning the tide of games for the Thunder. Just look at this recent Game 2 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he finished with 18 points in 18 minutes, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep. McCain was the X-Factor in a game to protect home court advantage and to help his team eventually reach the Western Conference Finals.
The Blazers still lack that role player who can unexpectedly step up and flip the script of a game. They even used to have that in Dalano Banton last season, who single-handedly won a few games in the fourth quarter with his microwave scoring ability. We all know that wasn't a sustainable solution, but now the Blazers have almost overcompensated by adding too many defensive pieces, like Sidy Cissoko.
Who can they turn to when the offense begins to stall? That was a major problem in maintaining leads throughout their series against the Spurs, and having a combo guard like McCain would've absolutely helped.
If a first-round pick and a few insignificant second-rounders were all it took to land an up-and-coming guard, the Blazers should've been all over it. They were even expected to be buyers at the deadline, but wound up remaining relatively quiet yet again.
The real move on the margins was McCain, and his postseason performance against the Lakers makes Portland's inaction look even worse.
Add us as a preferred source on Google