Bulls Drafting Dailyn Swain Over Allen Graves Already Looks A Mistake

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 26: Dailyn Swain #5 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles against Mike Conley #45 of the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden on October 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bulls had multiple opportunities to draft future NBA stars in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

No one is going to complain about what they did with the No. 4 overall pick, when they chose Caleb Wilson.

The No. 15 overall pick might turn out to be a different story, though.

The Bulls took Dailyn Swain, the wing out of Texas who began his college career at Xavier before ending up with the Longhorns and putting up a well-rounded stat line in Austin.

The player that many thought was the supreme sleeper in the draft, Allen Graves out of Santa Clara, went four picks later. The Toronto Raptors took him at No. 19.

The picks between those were Bennett Stirtz to the Thunder, Ebuka Okorie to the Pistons and Christian Anderson Jr. to the Hornets.

It’s not as simple as saying the Bulls should’ve drafted Graves over Swain — but there’s a chance that at least a couple of the players drafted later in the first round than Swain end up looking like better selections.

Dailyn Swain Rookie Season Stats

Swain had a rough NBA Summer League, which set him up to be on the outside of the rotation looking in for the preseason and the regular season.

So far, the Bulls have only played Swain for one game. He got 12 minutes in that appearance and scored two points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists.

Swain shot 1-for-3 from the field and didn’t get to the line in that short stint.

It’s clear so far that the Bulls aren’t confident enough to put Swain on the floor, which feels like a bad sign for what his future might hold.

Chicago isn’t a great team right now. Swain ideally would be able to at least crack the rotation.

As the Bulls appear to see it, though, Swain isn’t ready. The question becomes if and when he’ll ever actually be ready.

Allen Graves Rookie Season Stats

GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 16: Allen Graves #22 of the Toronto Raptors goes up for a layup against John Collins #20 of the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter of a preseason game at Little Caesars Arena on October 16, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Graves has been a consistent contributor off the bench so far for the Raptors.

In six games, Graves has averaged 13.7 minutes per contest. He’s putting up 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Graves is a guy viewed as a quality all-around hooper with the potential to overcome the fact that he came off the bench at Santa Clara.

The Raptors have a strong wing rotation, so they haven’t had to overdo it with Graves yet, but it’s clear they trust him with some minutes. That’s more than the Bulls can say with Swain.