LOS ANGELES — The Philadelphia 76ers made two moves at the deadline in order to gain financial and roster flexibility for the future. They moved second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a handful of picks–including a first-rounder–and Eric Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future pick swap.
The trade deadline is always an emotional time in the NBA. Players are checking their phones every 30 minutes or so to get an idea of what’s going on or whether they’re next to be traded. It’s a tough day for everybody involved.
To move on from such a likable player like McCain, it was a tough day for everybody.
“Yeah, Jared was great,” said Joel Embiid. “Obviously, I felt like he was starting to find himself a little bit there, especially because of what he was doing last year. I think OKC got a great player, especially with the way that they’re developing players and competing against the best defenders, probably, in the league. They’ve got a good collection of those. I think that’s gonna make him better. Yeah, they got a good one.”
#Sixers star Joel Embiid on the Jared McCain trade: pic.twitter.com/QnVa1hYxyZ
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 6, 2026
While Embiid wishes McCain the best with the Thunder, it was a hard day for big man Dominick Barlow who is a younger player and built a relationship with both McCain and Gordon. He expressed his respect for both players after the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
“It’s hard,” Barlow said of deadline day. “I’ve been on multiple teams. I’ve had deadlines that were quiet. Last year, deadline, we made a bunch of moves, and now, like with Jared and EG, just like, starting with EG, just ultimate professional. He came to work every day, talked to everybody. He was just amazing to be around. He was, in my opinion, a guy that I have a ton of respect for, and with Jared, like, Jared just bought vibes every day.”
At the end of the day, the NBA is, of course, a business, but moving on from McCain could prove to be a questionable move over time. It remains to be seen how it will work out for the Sixers. He clearly had the love and respect of his teammates.
“Unbelievable person,” Barlow added on McCain. “He’s getting healthy. He’s kind of getting back to himself. So, that was definitely hard. It’s like the young guys, like, the young group, like he was one of us. So it was extremely difficult, but it’s a harsh business and I know you have to, like, try to take emotions out of it, but it’s kind of difficult when you have guys that are super connected. So it’s tough for sure. It’s a hard day.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Joel Embiid, Dominick Barlow discuss 76ers trading Jared McCain to OKC
