NBA: 76ers use team option on Jared McCain to extend his contract

FILE – Philadelphia 76ers’ Jared Jared McCain gestures during the NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers exercised their third-year contract option for promising second-year guard Jared McCain on Thursday.

The move that was announced by 76ers president Daryl Morey keeps McCain under contract with the team through the 2026-27 season.

READ: Jared McCain, NBA rising star, says he’s partly Filipino

McCain has not played yet this season after suffering a UCL tear in his right thumb in late September.

McCain appeared in 23 games last season and led all rookies with an average of 15.3 points. He also averaged 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 25.7 minutes while finishing fourth among rookies with a 3-point percentage of 38.3%. McCain set an NBA rookie record by making at least three 3s in eight consecutive games last November when he also scored 20 or more points in seven straight games.

He suffered a season-ending torn meniscus in his left knee on Dec. 13 against Indiana.

He was the No. 16 selection in the 2024 draft out of Duke.