According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the New York Knicks’ search for a backup center has gone as far as considering former Atlanta Hawks backup center Bruno Fernando.
“The Knicks had some interest in signing Bruno Fernando early in the offseason. Fernando signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Raptors in early August,” Begley wrote on Sept. 6.
The 6-foot-11 Fernando is the first NBA player to hail from Angola.
Last season, Fernando averaged 6.3 points and career-highs of 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 15.2 minutes off the bench for the Hawks. But he was waived after the Hawks acquired Larry Nance Jr., another potential Knicks target, and Cody Zeller in the Dejounte Murray trade to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Fernando was the star of Angola’s run to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, Philippines, last year, averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
The former University of Maryland star was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 34th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft before being traded to the Hawks.
In 203 regular-season games, including 19 starts for the Hawks, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, Fernando averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.7 minutes.
With Fernando off the free agent market, the Knicks also made an offer to former Utah Jazz big man Omer Yurtseven, according to Begley . However, the Turkish big man opted for a more lucrative Euroleague offer with Greek club Panathinaikos.