The Denver Nuggets' Peyton Watson is going to be a restricted free agent this summer, and there's a chance he could leave town. But ESPN's newest mock draft has the Nuggets potentially filling Watson's spot with another athletic, downhill, perimeter defender, and Dailyn Swain isn't a bad option for the Nuggets to consider with the 26th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft if they suspect they can't keep Watson around.
ESPN's mock draft, courtesy of Jeremy Woo, has the Nuggets selecting Swain with the 26th pick. And it would make sense for the Nuggets if they aren't expecting to re-sign Watson. Which is a possibility, after all, because the Nuggets left some doubt with P-Wat.
They never explicitly said they'd match any offer for him during their end-of-season press conference, and it would instantly put the Nuggets deep into the second apron tax without some other moves.
Swain fits the profile of what the Nuggets need
Swain is a 6-foot-8 wing who has a tremendous ability to get to the rim. He's a slashing rim-attacker with some size and athleticism coming downhill, making him tough to stop. Swain may be the very best rim attacker in the entire draft.
Swain averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds for Texas in 36 starts, and his heavy rim presence led to an efficient 54.2% from the field, and he was a very good 81.5% from the free-throw line. Swain's also a good passer, leading Texas in assists this year at 3.6 per game.
Swain's an above-average defender on the perimeter, and he averaged 1.6 steals the past two years in college. He has good size on the wing, but he's more of a fielding defender than a physical one.
His shot isn't quite the best, but neither is Spencer Jones' shot, and he makes it work. The Nuggets can try to develop it, and Swain has shown he has the potential to keep improving. Swain was a 15.4% three-point shooter his freshman year at Xavier, but he was 34.4% last season, his junior year, at Texas.
Peyton Watson's return is iffy
The Nuggets are going to be leaning on filling a few holes and needs for next season, like physicality, ball handling, defense in the paint and on the perimeter, rim protection, and adding Watson to the list really does put someone like Swain on the radar.
Watson's return is very iffy. The Nuggets are already up against the second apron tax, and that's the biggest reason they'll have some headaches with roster construction this summer. The team's needs can be fixed with smaller patches, and starting in the draft with someone like Swain is a good place to do it.
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