Dailyn Swain is "two feet in" to his NBA draft process
If the roster that Sean Miller built during the most recent transfer portal cycle didn’t make it clear, then Dailyn Swain‘s own words did on Wednesday. Swain, who is at the NBA Draft Combine this week, told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello that he his “two feet in” to his NBA Draft journey and has closed the door on a college return.
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Swain, who transferred to Texas for the 2025-26 season after two years with Miller at Xavier, averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebound during his lone season in Austin. In his collegiate career, he averaged 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds on 53% shooting in 99 games.
His season with the Longhorns was his best as a college athlete. He averaged 32.8 minutes per game and shot 54% from the field, 34% from three, and 82% from the line. He logged 1.6 steals per game on his way to SEC Newcomer of the Year honors.
At the combine, Swain measured in at 6-foot-6.5 and 211.2 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and an 8-foot-8.5 standing reach according to Jonathan Givony.
Swain was projected to be the 20th overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs in the most recent mock draft from On3’s James Fletcher.
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The Longhorns’ roster-building efforts indicated they knew a return from Swain was a very longshot, especially after he started receiving more and more first round predictions. With additions like Elyjah Freeman and David Punch on the wings, those two probably don’t end up in Austin if there was any hope for a return from Swain.
Swain choosing to go to the league should not reflect poorly on Texas. As Swain put it, he is “two feet in” to the process and wants to be a professional basketball player.
Though NIL has kept more star players in college for longer in recent years, the potential of a first-round selection remains tantalizing for NBA prospects. Plus, the money in the league is still green. The NBA has a rookie scale system for its draft picks and in 2025 the salary associated with the No. 26 pick was $2.4 million according to RealGM. First round picks can sign for as much as 120% and as little as 80% of the rookie scale. The $2.4 million number was about a $50,000 increase from 2024, so a number approaching $2.5 million per year is likely in the cards for that selection in the 2026 draft. The salary would increase by about $100,000 in between year one and year two, then again between year two and year three. Teams have a fourth-year option on first-round picks.
The Longhorns have had 20 first-round selections in program history dating back to LaSalle Thompson in 1982. The most recent first-round pick from the program was Tre Johnson, who went No. 6 overall to Washington in the 2025 NBA draft. Other NBA first-rounders since 2015 include Mo Bamba, Jaxson Hayes, Myles Turner, Kai Jones, and Jarrett Allen.
