Magic Draft Pick Tristan da Silva Shares Connection With Franz & Moe Wagner

The Orlando Magic took Tristan da Silva with their first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Tristan da Silva arrives for the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Before even getting drafted by the Orlando Magic, Tristan da Silva shared a connection with new teammates Franz Wagner and Moe Wagner because they all spent their high school careers in Germany.

A high school friend and teammate of da Silva's is close friends with Franz and Moe. On Wednesday, the connection between da Silva and the Wagner brothers came full circle when Orlando took him with the No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

"One of my good friends that I played with in Munich is one of their best friends," da Silva said. "I feel like every two months or so I get a snap or a phone call while he's in Orlando talking to them. It's great to join that group. [It] makes it feel a little bit more homey and I've already been in contact with both of them, so I'm excited to get out there."

Da Silva, 23, adds much-needed shooting to an Orlando offense that ranked near the bottom in league shooting stats. The 6-foot-8 forward, who was a three-year starter at Colorado, averaged 16 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from 3-point range in his senior season. Da Silva made the All-Pac 12 team twice and the conference's All-Tournament team in his final collegiate season.

The Brazilian-German forward also stepped up his game when it mattered most, averaging 18 points per game and making 56.3 percent of his 3s across three NCAA Tournament games.

The Magic were tied for 23rd in 3-point percentage, 24th in points per game and tied for last in 3-pointers made per game. Their offensive struggles were brought to the forefront in the playoffs when they were held under 100 points three times en route to being eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In selecting da Silva, Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman believes his team checked off multiple boxes.

"Tristan is a very unique player," Weltman said. "He's exceptionally skilled. He's one of the highest-IQ players in this draft and maybe in a lot of drafts recently. His shooting will open the floor up, his skill level will create angles, he's great off the ball, and we had a lot of experience with him in our visits. We met with him in Chicago, we had a great visit here, and we're just very excited to add him to our team."

The Magic will be back on the clock with the No. 47 overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft, which begins on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

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