Ex-Rockets Big Man Bruno Fernando Waived by Atlanta Hawks

After two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Bruno Fernando was waived by the franchise Tuesday afternoon.

Dec 16, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Bruno Fernando (24) dunks during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Former Houston Rockets big man Bruno Fernando is now a free agent. As first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Atlanta Hawks waived Fernando Tuesday afternoon. As a result, the Hawks added two-way prospect Dominick Barlow.

Fernando appeared in 45 games with two starts last season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. The 2023-24 season marked Fernando's fourth and final year with the franchise. He began his career with the Hawks as a second-round pick, which Atlanta traded for during the 2019 NBA Draft.

For your endless passion and energy, thank you @BrunoFernandoMV pic.twitter.com/0fQ2xLEVwF

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 30, 2024

However, Fernando established himself as a member of the Rockets after joining the franchise via trade in February 2022. During the second half of the 2021-22 season, Fernando became an enforcer in the middle by averaging 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds on an average of 10.0 minutes per game. In the three games he played 18 minutes or more, he averaged 15.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.

He notched a team-best defensive net rating of 105.4, which led the Rockets to finish the season ranked 21st in defense. Before Fernando's arrival in a trade with the Boston Celtics, Houston had the league's worst defense.

He was a solid defensive contributor off the bench during the 2022-23 season. He finished his career after appearing in 41 games while averaging 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.

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