Tristan Da Silva NBA draft: Top 5 landing spots for the Colorado forward ft. Cleveland and more
Colorado`s Tristan Da Silva was an integral part of the Buffaloes' run in this year`s March Madness, and his skillset cannot be understated.
A nimble, sweet-shooting six-foot-nine forward who can go off at any given moment, Da Silva has done more than enough work to at least solidify his draft stock as a consensus first-round pick.
The native of Munich, Germany is a tall, scoring wing who`s going to be a commodity in a league dominated by players of his skillset. Here's a look at five potential teams that could make use of him in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Five potential landing spots for Tristan Da Silva
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers
A lot of mock drafts pick him to be here at 20th, with Da Silva going right after G-League Ignite's Tyler Smith (via Bleacher Report). A lot of analysts say that his strong performance in this year`s March Madness is the main catalyst for him getting picked in the first round, but that`s not all.
His skillset combined with his size and overall offensive IQ (both scoring and passing) makes him an irresistible pick outside the lottery. It's, however, among the lowest spots he could end up considering his current standing.
The Cavs could use someone like him even if he lacks the necessary athleticism and explosiveness to pose problems for opposing forwards on the defensive end.
#2 Washington Wizards
Perhaps the most notable thing about Tristan Da Silva is his pro comparison: Washington`s Kyle Kuzma. He has the size and offensive talent to play as someone like Kuzma, and the numbers make it quite clear.
The thing is, the Wizards' experiment with Jordan Poole and Kuzma is clearly not working. With the team finishing in penultimate place n the entire league, something has to change.
Perhaps Washington has the chance to restart with someone who will come into the league with something to prove, instead of sticking with Kuzma who hasn't provided much success to the team all year at all.
#3 Phoenix Suns
The Suns could blow up their frontcourt next season after they just got swept by the red-hot Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. For one, Phoenix reportedly has an insane $150 million committed to just Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal alone next year (via BasketNews).
Not to mention, all that salary comes with no first-round picks from 2025 to 2030 (via YardBarker). With barely any cap space left and almost no big draft picks for half a decade, the Suns are in deep, deep trouble.
So if they want to retool again for another playoff run, something's got to give, and it should start with getting the best, easily available scoring wing they can get. If Tristan Da Silva remains available to Phoenix late in the first round, they have to take him.
#4 New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are another team that could blow up their roster after being swept by the Thunder in the first round.
With Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram still technically their best players, it wouldn't be too bad for them to have someone to at least back Ingram up when Zion`s out.
Tristan Da Silva's size and scoring is always a good thing to have, especially considering how far he could go down in the first round.
#5 Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are expected to pick Tyler Smith from G-League Ignite at 19, but in truth, it could be a toss-up between him and Tristan Da Silva.
The two smooth-shooting, scoring bigs are not that far off in terms of numbers. But perhaps the one thing that could work in Da Silva's favor is that he played under the bright lights of March Madness and thrived all the same.
For now, there's no telling what the Raptors would do come draft night. RJ Barrett and Bruce Brown didn`t pan out much for Toronto this year, and with Brown not being much of a scoring threat for them, they could always use someone of Tristan Da Silva's size and skillset late in the draft.