Philadelphia Sixers fans still aren't over the Jared McCain trade, and they may never fully be. It certainly doesn't help that he went to the Thunder, whose chances of repeating look pretty good. Oh, and then there's the fact that on Wednesday, the guard said he's still following his former team closely in the playoffs.
Jared McCain on keeping up with the Sixers’ playoff run: “I watch them pretty closely. Those are still my guys. Those are my brothers, so I'm definitely watching them and always rooting for them no matter what.” pic.twitter.com/OWDqw8elMS
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 6, 2026
Did you expect McCain to say anything different? He loved Philadelphia, and the city loved him. It doesn't matter that it's already been a few months since the trade; he can't forget about his Sixers past that easily.
Philadelphia can't forget him, either, not just because of his comments, but because the team could really use his scoring off the bench. The Sixers pulled off the first-round upset over the Celtics without McCain, but will need another miracle to do the same to the Knicks after facing a 2-0 deficit after Wednesday's 108-102 loss.
Jared McCain's comments make Sixers miss him even more
Philadelphia hasn't been able to rely on Grimes for a scoring punch off the bench. He had 12 and 18 points in Games 4 and 5 against Boston, but had just two points in Game 6, and three in Game 7.
He had only five points on 1-of-4 shooting in the Sixers' Game 1 loss to the Knicks, and had seven in Game 2. Grimes looked more aggressive when he first checked in on Wednesday, but it quickly faded, as did the team's offense overall in the fourth quarter.
The Sixers opted to go with Grimes, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, over McCain, who still has two more years left on his rookie contract. You know what? They could've kept both around! Daryl Morey thought he sold high on the second-year guard, though.
McCain had a rocky first half of the season, coming off a meniscus injury last year, and suffering a UCL tear in September. He averaged just 6.6 points on 38.5% shooting from the field and 37.8% from three. The Sixers didn't want to wait to see if he'd turn a corner.
He did that with the Thunder, finishing the season averaging 10.4 points per game on 46.2% shooting from the field and 39.1% from deep. McCain is coming off his best playoff showing, as he dropped 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from three in the Thunder's Game 1 semifinal win over the Lakers.
McCain found his new home in OKC, but what makes his departure sting even more is that the Thunder doesn't need him. They were a dangerous team before he arrived, and the Sixers gave them another weapon off the bench, one they still need.