3 Teams That Could Select Dailyn Swain in 2026 NBA Draft

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team had a memorable first season under head coach Sean Miller, and the emergence of Dailyn Swain was a major reason why.

After two years at Xavier in which he showed some solid upside, Swain exploded onto the scene with Texas, as he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes per game before winning the SEC's Newcomer of the Year.

Swain climbed up NBA Draft boards throughout the season and has seemingly secured a late first-round projection in a draft class that is considered one of the best in decades. With the draft set to begin on Tuesday, here's a final look at some teams that Swain could land with due to both fit and where each team is picking in the first round.

San Antonio Spurs - Pick No. 20

The Spurs need to target some frontcourt depth behind Victor Wembanyama this offseason, and the draft is a great place to start. However, with players like Yaxel Lendeborg, Hannes Steinbach, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. very likely to be off the board by the time San Antonio picks at No. 20 overall, the cards just might fall in the right place for the Spurs to land Swain.

The Spurs' bench struggled at times on offense in the playoffs, especially in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. San Antonio could potentially find it intriguing to pair Swain with Carter Bryant as a talented defensive duo on the wing.

Additionally, Swain has the size and playmaking ability that could make the two-man game with Wembanyama even more dangerous. There's multiple reasons why Swain could be a nice fit with the Spurs, but the way in which the board is expected to fall could have an even stronger impact on San Antonio's chances of snagging him.

Oklahoma City Thunder - Pick No. 12 and No. 17

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) reacts in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder are always a wild card when it comes to the NBA Draft. Oklahoma City could surprise NBA fans with a draft night trade or by reaching a bit on a player that the front office likes.

Swain landing in OKC might raise a few eyebrows at first, but a championship franchise like the Thunder have proven that their development is arguably the best in the NBA.

With Swain's defensive tools, offensive upside and meteoric rise in the last two seasons, the Thunder could view him as a future starter alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after a few years of development.

With two picks in the first round at No. 12 and No. 17 overall, the Thunder could get the player they want with their first selection before taking a swing at Swain a few picks later.

Detroit Pistons - Pick No. 21

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

While the Pistons were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season en route to earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, they lacked offensive punch outside of star guard Cade Cunningham, especially from the bench.

Swain would bring that defensive versatility off the bench while also having the size and quickness to create scoring opportunities for himself and others when the rest of Detroit's offense gets stagnant.

Though Swain will no doubt need to keep growing as a shooter, he's shown enough upside there in such a short time that the Pistons should feel good about where he's headed.

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