Breaking: Toronto Raptors Sign Veteran Center

The Toronto Raptors are shoring up their big man rotation behind Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk, handing out a non-guaranteed contract to five-year NBA veteran center Bruno Fernando.

The Raptors are signing Bruno Fernando, per a source.

It's a non-guaranteed deal. Basically, come in to camp and compete for a roster spot. Some guarantees would kick in if he makes the team.

Not an Exhibit 10; he's not 2-way eligible, no 905 implication.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 2, 2024

Blake Murphy is reporting that Fernando will be brought into camp, though this is not an Exhibit 10, so he will not be eligible for a G League spot if he doesn't make the NBA roster.

Fernando, 6'9", 240 pounds, spent last season with the Atlanta Hawks where he put up 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15 minutes a night for the Hawks' second unit. He was waived by Atlanta earlier this week before his $2.7 million salary for next season became guaranteed.

The Angola-born center, who will turn 26 next month, has also spent time with the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets. He carries NBA marks of 203 games played, 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, while shooting 54.4% from the floor.

He was a second-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA Draft, after two years at Maryland, where he averaged 13.6 points and 10.6 rebounds in his junior year heading into the draft.

The Raptors still have one open roster spot, and it's expected that Fernando will compete for that at camp next month.