Philly has a Jared McCain problem

Daryl Morey could be correct about McCain having no future with the Sixers, leading to his trade. The problem is everything else the team did betrays the real motive here.

Good morning. Let's basketball.

After the Sixers traded Jared McCain for a low first round pick, Daryl Morey explained that he believed the team had been "selling high" on the second-year guard. This has become widespread lore about Morey's belief in McCain as a player, and is something that Thunder fans and anti-Morey fans are lording over the controversial GM. As Bryan Toporek wrote after the comments, Morey's line of argument was different: he was saying that McCain would not have gotten much continued opportunity on a team with Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, and so cashing in with a return fitting of a starting-level player was Philadelphia's best bet lest McCain's value decrease while playing less off the bench.

Morey simply delivered a compelling argument about McCain's future in Philadelphia in an inartful way that drew significant backlash. Which is pretty on-the-nose for Morey.

The problem is that a much better team with a glut of guards is using McCain plenty! Oklahoma City, who has the best record in the NBA, has been dealing with significant injury absences. But that doesn't make the fact that McCain was their top scorer on Wednesday – 20 points in 25 minutes – any less real or valid. McCain's been awesome for OKC with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso in and out of the lineup. Morey's vision of McCain's future value betrays any idea that Philadelphia is going for it this season. The pick gained for McCain will be in the 20s: it definitely won't help the Sixers this season, probably won't help much next season and, even given that Morey is a good draft scout, may never amount to as much as McCain.

What the pick also won't do is count toward the Sixers' salary cap this season, which is of course the real reason Morey was selling at the deadline. He traded McCain for a pick and waived Eric Gordon to avoid his billionaire bosses paying the luxury tax once they converted Dominick Barlow and Jabari Parker off of two-ways. Being in the tax also restricts roster flexibility going forward, but I haven't seen a convincing argument that this would have caused near-term issues for the Sixers specifically. So what it appears has happened is that Morey's bosses told him to avoid the tax and Morey is laundering such a move as smart and sophisticated.

And it might have worked if McCain wasn't awesome while playing for the best team in the league.

This season – in which the Sixers are fighting for a top-6 seed in the East with a mostly rejuvenated Joel Embiid, a Paul George that looked great before getting popped for banned substances and a totally likeable young core centered on two amazing guards – looked like an unmitigated success for Philadelphia, even if they get swept in the first round. But going cheap at the deadline after Embiid called out ownership, and making Maxey answer questions about watching McCain flourish elsewhere ... it's not good, folks. And the laundering he's doing for his bosses might cost Morey whatever goodwill he has remaining, and maybe eventually his job.

Scores

Mavericks 90, Hornets 117 – What do you do with one-footed 30-footer jumpers from LaMelo Ball? Well, I know the answer is that you let him take them, because those can't possibly go in more than 25% of the time (don't fact-check that but it has to be accurate). But still: demoralizing when they do go in!

The Hornets are .500! Incredible!

Pistons 109, Cavaliers 113 – Helluva win for Cleveland without Donovan Mitchell in the rematch against a full-strength Pistons team that mounted an extremely Detroit fourth quarter comeback by forcing turnovers and giving up nothing easy. Resilient effort from James Harden, Evan Mobley and the gang. If we get this series in the second round, it's going to be a wonderful test for both programs.

Wizards 109, Magic 126 – No NBA.com profile photo alert: undrafted rookie Julian Reese picked up a start in his second game with Washington (9-8-3 in 33 minutes).

New lottery rule: you lose lottery combinations for every start by a player without an NBA.com profile photo. Full employment for photographers!

Paolo Banchero had 37 in the win.

Nets 98, Heat 124 – Kel'el Ware is playing major minutes again. At some point Erik Spoelstra must have remembered that his roster is pretty shallow. It's probably rude to say as they come off of a 26-point win and climb to within a half-game of No. 6, but: Miami's got some stuff to figure out this summer.

Knicks 111, Raptors 95 – Weak effort from the typically excellent Raptors bench. Since that thoroughly embarrassing defeat on MLK Day against the Mavericks, the Knicks have the No. 1 defense in the NBA. Let me rephrase that: over the past 19 games, encompassing more than a month of action, the Knicks have the No. 1 defense in the NBA. Impressive. They have the best net rating since January 20 and are in a four-way tie for the best record at 15-4.

Spurs 131, Sixers 91 – Victor Wembanyama had four blocks in the first seven minutes and 17 seconds of the game. Also, Victor Wembanyama didn't hit his first field goal until midway through the second quarter and finished with "just" 10 points. A big part of that was because the Spurs were up by 25 at halftime.

These were two of those 10 Wembanyama points, by the way.

What?

Thunder 116, Bulls 108 – Alex Caruso was on the Bulls two years ago. He has one former teammate still on the roster (Patrick Williams, who did not play in this game). As such, I'd like to retract my cheap shot on the Bulls front office from yesterday. Clearly, they have seen the light (the light being the freight train that has been blasting them down the tracks to tankdom for the past year).

Grizzlies 110, Timberwolves 117 – Shai, Jokic and Wembanyama are the top MVP options if they each play enough games. But I'm not sure amid the Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown chatter that Anthony Edwards is getting enough of a look. Stone cold killer.

Pelicans 101, Lakers 110 – I've never been so confused about a team on pace for 50 (give or take) wins!

By the way, I (begrudgingly) do believe that the now-infamous J.J. Redick-Luka Doncic courtside "confrontation" is the sign of a healthy relationship. I (begrudgingly) agree with Redick here.

Suns 114, Kings 103 – Devin Booker's back. Jalen Green's health appears to be holding up. Phoenix is two games out of No. 6 with 21 games left. They have a strong chance to make the playoffs even if they don't catch one of the teams bunched ahead of them ... but what an achievement getting a top-6 slot would be.

Also: despite Dillon Brooks being out for a while, the Suns' success by retooling around attitude, defense and high work ethic is going to get some team to spend a lot of coin on Lu Dort this summer, and I love that. (Do it, Kings.)

Also also: the NBA on NBC throwback games were very fun. Well, the games weren't really fun, but the broadcasts were. Isiah Thomas is still not OK, though!

Links

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic is an incredible beat writer and storyteller. His piece on Bones Hyland's history and flourishing third act in Minnesota is typically excellent.

The WNBA has recently threatened that the 2026 season will be impacted if the players' association doesn't sign off on a term sheet in the next week. It sounds like a few top players are taking that threat seriously and want the union to accept the deal on the table, which can broadly be characterized as "serious progress" but still not commensurate with other leagues' deals. That's my take, at least, on the hubbub around Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart sending a letter questioning WNBPA leadership's strategy which has now hit the media.

Michael Pina is convinced about the Cavaliers' potential. I'm almost there myself! But whole top-4 in the East is legitimately excellent.

Luke Kornet wrote in opposition to the Hawks' Magic City Night on Medium. Which is shocking because ... people still use Medium? Luke Kornet does, at least. And after reading through some of his work: he's quite a nice writer! Blogging lives. I mean, this is just great internet coming from a rich and successful basketball player. Way more enjoyable than what Paul Shirley was writing 18 or so years ago. Look at this charming Venn diagram he made.

"Vin" took me a second. Clever. Anyways, Magic City Night is not for me but my opposition is primarily centered around T.I. being the special performer in lieu of Waka Flocka Flame.

Chauncey Billup, Damon Jones and 29 others charged in the federal gambling cases are scheduled to appear in court in NYC on Wednesday. Mike Vorkunov reports that there could be a dozen plea deals announced according to prosecutors.

It's a few weeks old at this point, but Howard Beck's assessment of the cracks in Adam Silver's NBA is one of the more important columns or essays of the season so far. Beck is spot on.

Good points here from Morten Stig Jensen on the increasing limits on how teams are able to build better rosters.

It's a beautiful day: De La Soul Tiny Desk Concert.

Schedule

All times Eastern. Highlight games in bold.

Thunder at Knicks, 7, ESPN
Hornets at Celtics, 7:30
Jazz at Sixers, 7:30
Blazers at Grizzlies, 8
Hawks at Bucks, 9:30, ESPN
Pacers at Clippers, 10:30

Be excellent to each other.