Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Gift Has Jared McCain Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud

Jared McCain didn’t just land in Oklahoma City by accident. He landed there because the trade deadline gave him a way out of Philadelphia, and he’s not shy about saying it. But it was a wristwatch that really drove the point home.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second MVP award this season and, as is basically tradition among NBA stars who get that kind of hardware, he bought gifts for the whole team. Nice watches. The kind of thing that makes you feel like you’re in the right place at the right time.

McCain posted a new vlog episode and didn’t hold back.

“Thank God for the trade deadline. Shoutout Sam Presti,” McCain said on camera. “So thankful for Shai.”

It’s not hard to see why. McCain came over from the Sixers at the deadline and immediately became one of the Thunder’s most reliable three-point shooters. That stretch carried into the playoffs, where Oklahoma City pushed all the way to a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals before San Antonio ended their repeat hopes. But the vibe around the franchise hasn’t changed much. Fans are already locked in on next season.

McCain will go through his first Thunder training camp this fall, and if his recent comments are any indication, he’s all in. He talked about the city and the fans in a way that doesn’t sound like a guy just saying the right thing to avoid drama.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, they’re always trying to help and always trying, no matter what,” McCain said.

He called it a two-way street — the love coming back to him because he tries to give it out first. Paying for somebody’s coffee, stopping for a photo, whatever small thing it is. He said that energy cycles back and “allows me to fall in love with a city.”

That’s not nothing, especially for a guy from California who had probably never given Oklahoma City much thought before the trade happened. But McCain sounds like a believer now.

He’ll enter the 2026-27 season as a third-year guard with a ring chase already on his mind and an MVP teammate who apparently knows how to pick out a solid thank-you gift.