Good news: the Denver Nuggets currently have a pick in each of the two rounds of the 2026 NBA draft! The Nuggets currently have the 26th pick in the first round, as well as the second round pick from the Atlanta Hawks which is 49th overall. Will they use them? Will they trade them? Will they actually play anyone even if they do draft them? Burning questions all, but let’s at least talk about the possible draft picks who might be available to Denver – both at their current positions and if they happen to move up via trade.
With so many rumors in the air about Denver’s willingness to move starters as well as attempting to move up in the first round, it doesn’t really make sense to focus only on what might be available to Denver at pick 26, so rather than write a dozen recaps, let’s instead talk about who might be available in the first round for Denver and why the Nuggets might or might not want him. The rankings are this week’s consensus mock picks from B/R, ESPN, Yahoo, Tankathon and The Ringer.
First, the full profiles that have already been written on Stiffs (click on the names for the full profiles):
Morez Johnson Jr., 6’9 PF/C from Michigan. The Good: Physical defender both inside and on the perimeter, switchable, big motor in the halfcourt and transition, potential future Aaron Gordon replacement next to Nikola Jokic at the 4 and backup at the 5. The Bad: Not a passer, has not shot many threes.
Consensus rank: 17
Bennett Stirtz, 6’2.5 PG from Iowa. The Good: He can shoot off screens or pullups, will not get sped up, isn’t afraid of big moments, can captain the offense for the bench behind Jamal Murray or play off-ball as a movement shooter. The Bad: is used to the ball in his hands far more than it will be in the pros, is not an elite mover and may struggle against NBA athletes.
Consensus rank: 17.6
Dailyn Swain, 6’6.5 wing from Texas. The Good: Great driver and finisher with explosion, good handle, quick hands and defensive potential. If you’re trying to find another Peyton Watson type later in the first round, he’s a good shot at it. The Bad: Not a great outside shooter with a slower release and doesn’t demand the ball, more of a fit-in player at this point early in his career.
Consensus rank: 21.6
Now for some other names to watch on draft night for Denver:
Labaron Philon Jr., 6’2.5 PG from Alabama. The Good: Does every scoring thing with a ball in his hands that you want. He has a tight dribble that can handle pressure and traffic, he’s great rolling to the rim and finishing via shot or floater and uses screens well, and he improved his three point shot to being a weapon off the dribble or catch-and-shoot. The man can put a ball in a hoop, and the Nuggets could really use that from a backup lead guard.
The Bad: He’s pretty slender and can get beat up in the paint or backed down on he perimeter despite being a good on-ball defender. He doesn’t really make special plays for assists, just takes what’s available (which is often calling his own number). And he is not a dunker, so he relies a lot on body control and a float game in the paint especially against much larger defenders. For Denver specifically, it makes it hard to play him and Jamal together unless Jamal is the 2, and both will be undersized against their positions then.
Consensus rank: 16.6
Ebuka Okorie, 6’1 PG from Stanford. The Good: Man he can really score. Blazing first step and will either get fouled at the cup or make the bucket. He’s also good in the pick-and-roll which makes him good for Denver, and can pull up or score outside though his three point shot is still on the ascent. He also is pesky on-ball with long arms for his height and quick hands.
The Bad: He is both short and skinny, which makes it doubly-tough to survive in the paint where he desperately wants to be. He’s much faster going north-south than east-west, so he’s pesky on defense without being a true defensive plus. Not gonna rebound at that height either. He’s more a shot at another Bones Hyland with less volcanic outside ability but even more rim pressure.
Consensus rank: 20.4
Jayden Quaintance, 6’9 PF/C from Kentucky. The Good: Huge wingspan, really strong, good first AND second jump and nice timing for blocks and boards. He’s also switchable defensively for someone of his size, and isn’t afraid of guarding smaller men on the perimeter. He could potentially be a really useful backup 5 who can protect the rim, and also handle the dunker spot next to Joker if it all works out.
The Bad: It might not all work out. His knee swells up like a balloon after his ACL and meniscus injuries as a freshman. He can’t make a shot from the stripe or outside. He’s basically a more versatile DeAndre Jordan but with Joel Embiid’s lower body concerns.
Consensus rank: 22.8
Koa Peat, 6’7 PF from Arizona. The Good: Peat is exceedingly polarizing. If you like him, it’s because he has Aaron Gordon vibes with his potential defensive versatility and strength at the 4 with perimeter versatility, though he’s not quite as tall. He has good vision and passing and finishes at the rim.
The Bad: His detractors will point out that unlike AG, he cannot jump out of the gym and is very short to play the 5 which he may have to do some. Peat also doesn’t have a jumper outside of the paint. He’s more like Kenyon Martin than AG potentially, but hasn’t shown the motor of either. Some people buy the upside, some are scared of the tools he flashes but doesn’t own, along with the tools he’s never shown a glimmer of.
Consensus rank: 26.6
Summary
I don’t know what to tell you to look for in this draft. Denver needs to find a backup point guard they trust, because Jalen Pickett fell out of favor this year and the Nuggets were using Tyus Jones just to have somebody they picked up off the scrap heap who wouldn’t turn the ball over and could handle pressure. But will they look that way in the draft? There are a few intriguing options, but if they move up too far surely they want someone who can look to start and not just be a permanent understudy at their position.
They could use a backup center, which might be what happens if they stay at 26 just because of the way the board could fall. Henri Veesaar, Tarris Reed Jr. and others could be there, but I didn’t write them up because that really should be the backup plan. With Jokic here hopefully for the foreseeable future, a backup center is strictly limited in what they can do for this team. Maybe Veesaar can play a little next to Jokic but really the Nuggets have had zero luck trying any kind of Twin Towers lineups and I’m not all that interested in seeing them try it with a rookie instead of a vet.
Power forward seems pretty useful until you look at Aaron Gordon and the man the Nuggets used four draft picks to select, DaRon Holmes Jr., and wonder if Denver is really punting on either of those players if they don’t manage to move up. AG’s recent injury history is not good, but there are also precious few players in this draft who can measure up to him either now or in their potential futures. What’s available at 26 might not warrant any expectations of pressure on the position.
A defensive wing would be nice, since there is no guarantee that ANY of Christian Braun / Peyton Watson / Cam Johnson are back next year, but it’s almost a surety that at least one of them will be gone. Julian Strawther is not a defensive wing, and while Spencer Jones is, another one would be helpful. In that sense, I view Dailyn Swain as the most likely Nuggets pick because he fits an expected need, and has some potential early-career shooting concerns that might let him get near where the Nuggets are. There’s a gap in the middle of the draft where there aren’t a lot of these guys expected to be picked, and Denver can’t get up high enough to pick the early ones, so planning for a later one makes sense.
But it’s an odd draft with a lot of really decent players outside the lottery but not many that I believe will change the immediate fortunes of the Nuggets. They will have to move up to get to Morez Johnson or Labaron Philon, or will have to pray that Swain or Okorie fall to them. Otherwise they’ll be sorting between the same sort of late-first / early-second round picks that sometimes pan out (like Peyton Watson) or that linger without fully realizing their gifts and goals (Julian Strawther so far). And Denver can’t really wait 4 years for their next Watson to show he belongs in the league they need playoff rotation help far sooner than that.
I expect a role-player and Denver needs all the cheap rotation pieces they can get, but things get so much easier for the Nuggets this year and next if they can snag a budding star. Of all these players, I would probably tap Philon as that guy, but Johnson Jr. could be very special in the interior if things break right.
And Denver could use some good breaks after a couple years of Nugglife returning to the Mile High. Fingers crossed for the Nuggets to catch lightning in a bottle on June 23rd and 24th – they’ve managed it before, and have the banner to prove it. A chunk of the hope for hanging another rests on what they can do with this draft and free agency. They’ve gotta start nailing these shots.
