May 21, 2026
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Will Dailyn Swain still be on the board when the Sixers are on the clock at No. 22 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft?
Will the Sixers have their new lead basketball operations executive in place before they are on the clock at No. 22 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft next month?
"I'd like to have someone. I hope to have someone," Bob Myers, running basketball operations in the interim and leading the search for Daryl Morey's replacement, said last week. "But if it hasn't happened, that's okay, too. But the goal would be to have someone in place for the draft to get acclimated with the new group. By the way, the group is working now. And whoever we hire, not sure who that will be, will likely, possibly already be evaluating the draft from where they're coming from. So that's a benefit in some ways. But yeah, I'd like to, and I hope to, but it'll be as much time as required to get the best person. Because again, sure, have someone by the draft, but the goal would be to have someone that's the right person for a long amount of time after that."
Myers, the President of Sports for the Sixers' ownership group, acknowledged that Morey's front office has a strong draft history and expressed a desire to not interrupt its success on that front. All of Morey's lieutenants remain in place for now.
Ahead of the deadline for players on the fence about staying in the draft or going back to school, here is the latest look at where some draft experts see the Sixers going with the first-round pick they acquired for Jared McCain:
Jeremy Woo once again matches the Sixers with Graves, a prospect who will likely remain tied to the team for the entire draft process if he elects to stay in the draft pool instead of returning to school via the transfer portal.
"Graves measured well for a power forward and looked to be in solid shape, but he wasn't helped by the other elements of the combine, looking like one of the less athletic players in testing. His proponents around the NBA rave about his defensive instincts and feel, and his projection as a long-term NBA player is backed up strongly by analytic models. It remains to be seen where that will leave Graves with a week to make a final decision, with plenty of interest from teams in the first round, but also lucrative options in the transfer portal, with LSU considered to be the front-runner if he returns to college." [ESPN]
Graves, who averaged 3.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes as a freshman and shot 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, could become a long-term fixture in the Sixers' forward rotation, which was clearly shallow in the playoffs. The only surefire rotation-caliber wing on the team's roster heading into next year is Paul George.
MORE: How Morey's Sixers tenure reached its end
Zach Buckley has the Sixers' lack of depth on the wing in mind, linking them with a prospect currently expected to go a bit lower than No. 22 overall on many boards. If the Sixers are fans of Swain, they could see this as the rare case of a team drafting this late able to pair best player available and short-term fit:
"If the Sixers think they can coax better results out of Swain's jumper, then they may believe they're getting a steal here. Swain was unguardable in isolation this season. He gets downhill in a hurry and boasts a deep finishing bag around the basket. Swain is also an active, disruptive defender who offers some versatility on that end. If the Sixers are at all worried about re-signing Kelly Oubre Jr., they may see Swain as a ready-made replacement." [Bleacher Report]
In three collegiate seasons, Swain was never a good three-point shooter – he is coming off his best year from long range, but only shot 34.4 percent from beyond the arc on just 2.6 attempts per game – but he shot well over 80 percent on free throws every year, and that is often a stronger indicator of how a player's shooting will translate to the next level. Swain's dominant isolation scoring chops make for one of the most intriguing skills in this entire draft.
Once again, Kevin O'Connor selects a center on behalf of the Sixers, emphasizing the importance of stabilizing the backup center spot behind Joel Embiid:
"As for this choice, finding a center to play behind Joel Embiid needs to be prioritized. Embiid simply cannot be trusted to stay on the floor. Suigo has said he wants to be the Italian Wemby and, at 7-foot-3 with passing feel and shooting touch, you can see why a teenager might put that out into the universe. Suigo lacks the handle and self-creation chops to ever be the best player on a team, but his dynamic skills as a passer, shooter and lob threat layer cleanly on top of baseline center duties as a screener, finisher and rim protector. Becoming the Italian Marc Gasol is a more realistic goal and would be a dream fit alongside Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for many years to come." [Yahoo! Sports]
For most teams, using a first-round pick in this range on a player without a pathway to starting for three years might be a nonstarter. But we know all too well by now that Embiid's backup might start more games than Embiid himself. The question: how ready is Suigo to contribute right away?
MORE: Takeaways from Josh Harris/Bob Myers press conference
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