NBA rumors: The coveted Thunder player 76ers failed to acquire in Jared McCain trade

The Philadelphia 76ers fired Daryl Morey as president of basketball operations on Tuesday following their elimination in the second round of the playoffs via sweep against the New York Knicks.

Morey’s exit had been simmering over the past few months. He spent six seasons with the 76ers.

He brought James Harden, Paul George, Andre Drummond, and Dwight Howard, among others, to Philadelphia. Under his watch, the team drafted VJ Edgecombe, Jared McCain, and Adem Bona. While he was not yet with the 76ers when Tyrese Maxey was selected in 2020, Morey aided his development.

Morey, however, fumbled his decision to trade McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in February in exchange for four draft picks. McCain was playing impressively during his rookie campaign before being derailed by a knee injury and a thumb injury.

Morey claimed that the 76ers were “selling high” on McCain. Now, the sweet-shooting guard is a key contributor for the Thunder and could win a ring even before Maxey, George, and Joel Embiid.

In a report from Philly Voice’s Adam Aaronson, the 76ers wanted Aaron Wiggins in exchange for McCain. It, however, did not come to fruition.

“There was hope that the talks with the Thunder about McCain could lead to a deal also involving Wiggins—the Sixers would have needed to send out multiple other players in the process—but ultimately the deal ended up centering around McCain, with Wiggins staying put in Oklahoma City,” wrote Aaronson.

Ironically, as Aaronson pointed out, Wiggins saw his minutes decrease after the arrival of McCain, who has been balling out in the playoffs.

Wiggins could have continued his role as a spark plug off the bench in Philadelphia, spelling Maxey and Edgecombe. He averaged 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in his fifth season with the Thunder.

The report added that Morey also tried to acquire Tari Eason, Saddiq Bey, Naji Marshall, Donte DiVincenzo, Brandon Podziemski, and Ryan Dunn.

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