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Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain is playing a massive role for the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder now.

The Philadelphia 76ers did not need another reminder that the Jared McCain trade is aging badly.

They got one anyway during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, when McCain started for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the San Antonio Spurs and again looked like the kind of young guard the Sixers could have used. McCain started in place of injured stars Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, and dropped timely playmaking en route to 20 points and three rebounds. He helped the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Christian Clark of The Athletic dropped a reality check on X: “I’m quite confident the Sixers were not selling high on Jared McCain.”

That line hit because it was a direct callback to the logic surrounding Philadelphia’s deadline decision. The Sixers moved McCain to Oklahoma City in February for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick and two 2028 second-round picks.

On paper, that is not an empty return. In practice, McCain’s rise has made the deal look much more painful. The Thunder did not acquire him as a future flier. They have already trusted him in serious postseason minutes, and by Game 5 against San Antonio, that trust had grown into a starting assignment.

Jared McCain Started in Game 5 of Thunder-Spurs and Made a Huge Impact

McCain’s first playoff start came with Oklahoma City dealing with key absences in the backcourt and wing rotation. Sports Illustrated’s Rylan Stiles reported before Game 5 that the Thunder were “taking a chance” by starting McCain in the Western Conference Finals.

That is the part that should bother Philadelphia most.

McCain did not have to become a star overnight for this trade to sting. He only had to become a trusted playoff player on a title-level team. That is already happening.

The Game 5 start came after McCain’s strongest playoff performance of the series. In Game 3, he scored 24 points in Oklahoma City’s 123-108 win over San Antonio, helping fuel a franchise playoff-record 76 bench points for the Thunder. McCain, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams helped stabilize Oklahoma City after the Thunder fell behind 15-0.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised McCain’s resilience after that game, saying the guard “doesn’t flinch,” according to Reuters. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also said McCain “oozes confidence.”

That is not just a nice quote. It is the kind of player-development signal that makes the Sixers’ decision look worse. McCain is not merely putting up occasional points. He is giving Oklahoma City shooting, confidence and secondary creation in playoff games where every possession gets harder.

Jared McCain Trade Looks Bad for Philly as McCain Looks Like a Viable Starter

The Sixers’ side of the argument was always about asset management. Philadelphia got draft capital for a player whose immediate role had become less clear. NBA.com noted at the time that McCain had struggled to regain his spot in the rotation after the Sixers returned to playoff contention, while also pointing out that he had been one of the bright pieces of the franchise’s future after going No. 16 overall in the 2024 NBA draft.

That tension is exactly why this hurts.

McCain had already shown real scoring upside as a rookie before a left knee injury cut short his first season. NBA.com noted he averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds as a rookie before the injury, set an NBA rookie record by making at least three 3-pointers in eight straight games and won Eastern Conference rookie of the month for November.

Those are not minor details. They are the reasons many Sixers fans saw McCain as more than a movable asset.

The Thunder saw it, too. NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt wrote that McCain’s trade from Philadelphia to Oklahoma City was still “reverberating with league-wide ramifications” and that McCain was having the kind of impact that could help the Thunder win a second straight championship.

That is the nightmare version of this deal for Philadelphia: not just McCain scoring somewhere else, but McCain fitting naturally into a winning ecosystem while the Sixers are left defending the value of future picks.

The blunt Clark post worked because it did not need much explanation. McCain’s play is doing the explaining. A guard the Sixers decided to cash out is now earning meaningful Western Conference Finals responsibility for one of the NBA’s best teams.

Philadelphia may eventually turn the draft capital into something useful. That part cannot be judged completely yet.

But the immediate read is hard to soften. The Sixers traded a young guard before they had to, and McCain is now making them watch the consequences on the biggest stage of his career.