The Boston Celtics capped off a brutal road stretch with an impressive win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Facing the gauntlet of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver in the span of five days, the Celtics came out with three wins, further cementing their status as the championship favorites.
Tuesday also marked the league-wide salary guarantee date in the NBA. Any player not waived by that date automatically becomes a fully guaranteed salary.
For players on the margins of NBA rosters, this was a big day. Unfortunately for one former Celtic, it didn't go according to the plan. Bruno Fernando, who spent the first half of the 2021-22 season in Boston, was waived by the Toronto Raptors, per NBA insider Keith Smith.
NBA News: Raptors Waive C Bruno Fernando
Fernando was first traded to the Celtics in the 2021 offseason after he spent the first two seasons of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. After playing in 20 games for the Celtics that season, he was dealt to the Houston Rockets alongside Enes Kanter and Dennis Schröder in exchange for Daniel Theis.
The big man from Angola bounced around the league since then, starting in a few games for the Rockets and the Hawks before signing as a free agent with the Raptors in the offseason. In Toronto, he started two games and played a total of 17 minutes, averaging 3.4 points and 3 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.
The 26-year-old will now wait for his next opportunity in the NBA. He is reportedly drawing serious interest from the Euroleague, so he may have to prove himself overseas, similar to what another former Celtic, Guerschon Yabusele did before returning to the NBA.
