About a year ago, Jared McCain was in the thick of the NBA Rookie of the Year race.

Earlier this month, the Philadelphia 76ers traded him away to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Many observers were shocked by the deal considering how well McCain, the 16th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, played during his limited appearances as a rookie. A knee injury limited him to only 23 games in his first season in the league and his sophomore campaign got off to a slow start as well after he had to undergo thumb surgery.

McCain struggled to get going for the Sixers this season, averaging only 6.6 points in 37 games as he fell behind rookie VJ Edgecombe in the team’s guard rotation. Still, most remained hopeful that he would eventually reclaim his pre-injury form and become a classic sixth-man-combo-guard-scorer for Philadelphia. 

However, the Sixers’ front office seemed to have other plans. They traded McCain to the Thunder earlier this month before the midseason trade deadline for a 2026 first rounder and three second round draft picks–a respectable return for a relatively unproven asset. The move also seems to have been a salary dump as Philadelphia used its resulting cap space to convert two-way forward Dominick Barlow’s contract into a standard one.

While it appears that the Sixers gave up on McCain, he could not have ended up in a better situation. Oklahoma City is the reigning NBA champion and the franchise’s player development track record is among the best in the league today. They made a strong first impression with the young guard upon his arrival in the city and he has done the same on the basketball court.

The Thunder have brought McCain off the bench over his first five games in a similar role to what he was expected to fill with Philadelphia. He scored in double digits in Oklahoma City’s last two games before All-Star Weekend, wrapping up the first half of the season on a high note.

Following the break, McCain picked up from where he left off. Playing on his 22nd birthday, he scored 21 points in only 22 minutes of play to lead the Thunder to a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets. His performance was even more impressive beyond the numbers as it felt like he was their best player on the floor for most of the contest with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams sidelined by injuries. The offense flowed seamlessly through McCain as he put up his highest scoring performance since December 2024.

It is far too early to declare winners and losers in this deal, but the early signs just three weeks in are telling. McCain looks rejuvenated in Oklahoma City, and if the Thunder can unlock the version of him that looked like a potential Rookie of the Year, Philadelphia may come to regret its impatience. For a franchise that already builds rosters and finds young stars better than anyone else, this could be another quiet heist—one more valuable piece in a machine that has ambitions of building a dynasty.