Bob Myers Quietly Shredded Max Kellerman’s Take on the Jared McCain Trade

Max Kellerman said something about the Sixers and money. Bob Myers had a different memory of it. And this time, the guy who actually worked in Philly’s front office got the last word.

Kellerman suggested on his podcast that the 76ers lost Jared McCain, Julian Champagnie, and Isaiah Joe over three years because of financial constraints. That’s a bad look for any franchise — losing young talent to save cash. But Myers, who took over basketball operations after Daryl Morey was fired in May, pushed back hard.

“The McCain thing was more, ‘Let’s do that, take the picks and try to turn them into something,’” Myers said. “Obviously, Daryl was doing it, and I think Daryl did a very good job in many respects. Couldn’t get another player back.”

Here’s the part that matters. Myers explained that the trade wasn’t a pure salary dump, even though it ended up looking like one. The plan was to flip those picks — a first-rounder and three second-rounders from Oklahoma City — into a player who could help immediately. But no deal materialized. So the Sixers ended up shedding McCain’s salary and getting out of the tax. That wasn’t the goal, Myers said. It was just the outcome.

“The idea was, ‘We’re going to take that pick and the seconds, and let’s try to grab another player who can maybe help us more.’ That was the thought. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t get it right. But it wasn’t, ‘Let’s get out of the tax.’”

McCain has since carved out a real role in Oklahoma City. Champagnie signed a three-year, $45 million extension with San Antonio. Joe won a title with the Thunder and now plays for Detroit. Meanwhile, Philly used that first-round pick on Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22. That’s a lot of talent to watch succeed elsewhere.

Myers currently runs Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Sixers and the New Jersey Devils. So he’s not just some talking head defending a former colleague. He’s the guy whose job includes cleaning up the messes that trades like this one create. And he’s willing to admit the trade didn’t work out the way they wanted.

“These are nuances nobody wants to hear, is my point,” he said.

Probably true. But he said them anyway.