The 76ers have been accused of exaggerating the guard's play to increase trade value

With the exception of their Big Three – Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George – the Philadelphia 76ers roster is full of tradeable players who could increase their championship chances if traded.

This includes one of the Sixers' youngest players and number 16 in the 2024 NBA Draft: Jared McCain.

Back in September, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz named McCain one of their top trade assets, and the NBA community is now jumping on the bandwagon. People are questioning the motives behind a report recently published by Tony Jones of The Athletic.

“The rookie from Duke has been the talk of training camp and preseason so far.” Jones wrote. “Multiple team sources indicate that McCain played extremely well in camp, particularly on offense. He played without fear, but above all with patience and confidence. He is a highly skilled guard who has a chance to be effective at all three levels and can play both spots in the backcourt.”

The part that social media has a hard time getting past is that “team sources indicate that McCain played extremely well.” If these reports come from within Philadelphia's organization, it could serve to increase the 20-year-old's trade value increase?

“It will be painful to see him dealt at the deadline,” one fan wrote in response to Jones' quote.

“I find all this information on Jared McCain very spicy… it feels like they are setting him up to be a trading partner by the deadline,” another person posted.

Ultimately, the NBA is an organization whose goal is to assemble the best roster possible. That could mean they trade away their rookie in the case of the 76ers.

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