With about 24 hours until Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers shockingly parted ways with second-year guard Jared McCain on Wednesday afternoon.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Sixers traded the former first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick (which OKC owns), and three second-round picks. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY added that the three second-round selections are a 2027 pick (most favorable between Oklahoma City, Houston, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat), the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2028 pick, and the Thunder’s 2028 pick.

Immediately after the deal was announced, Sixers fans speculated whether this trade would put the team under the luxury tax. Philadelphia was reportedly $1.3 million over the $187.9 million luxury tax line after the Paul George suspension last week.

And in typical Sixers’ fashion, they found a way to duck the tax. According to Bryan Toporek of Sixers on SI, the Sixers are “roughly $3 million” under the tax line since Philly didn’t take back any salaries from OKC, and McCain is making $4.2 million this season.

How does the Jared McCain trade impact the Sixers going forward?

The former first-round pick has had an up-and-down sophomore campaign this season. However, he seemed to start turning things around in the final week of January. In his last six games, McCain averaged 9.2 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the field and 57.7 percent from three-point range.

One could argue that McCain was looking like the player we saw as a rookie last season. He shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and scored 15.3 points per game as a rookie. However, his first year was cut short after 23 games by a torn meniscus.

Now, he’ll be joining the defending NBA champs, who are ranked 15th in three-point percentage (35.9). Coincidentally, the Sixers are ranked one spot ahead of the Thunder at 36%.

With McCain on his way to Oklahoma City, the Sixers’ bench production will take a hit. Following Tuesday night’s win over the Golden State Warriors, Philly is ranked 28th in bench scoring (31.0 points per game).

Also, if the Sixers don’t make another move between now and Thursday, they will have one less playable guard to spell Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, who have already logged a bunch of minutes this season. Therefore, the onus will be on Quentin Grimes to lead the way, who is averaging 13.0 points per game this season.

In the meantime, the Sixers have two open roster spots now to convert Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker from their two-way deals to standard contracts. Barlow is coming off a monster game on Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, where he had 26 points and 16 rebounds.

With that being said, this trade still doesn’t sit right if you’re a Sixers fan. Depth has played a huge part in Philly’s success thus far this season. And the fact that GM Daryl Morey is giving away a second-year guard for picks to duck the luxury tax is a slap in the face, especially considering that Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon are taking up two roster spots.

Grade: D+