According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Lauren L. Williams, the Atlanta Hawks and the team's backup center, Bruno Fernando, have agreed with the team that Fernando's contract for next season will be delayed from June 29 to July.
It is worth mentioning that this is the second year in a row that Fernando has extended the guarantee period of his contract in a similar way. Before free agency opened last year, the Hawks and Fernando operated almost in unison, and eventually the Hawks converted his $2.58 million contract for the season into a guaranteed contract, and he played the entire season with the Hawks. Fernando's contract for next season is worth $2.72 million, and the deadline for his contract to be guaranteed was also June 29, but that date was finally pushed back to July 10. However, Williams also said that there is no word yet on the date when the guarantee date of this contract has been pushed forward.
Once that happens, the Eagles will have more time to deal with subsequent trades and free market signings. If the Hawks need to add a guaranteed contract to the trade to balance the trade, then Fernando's contract may also be used to make the trade, and if the Hawks still have room for space after various operations or various trades, Fernando, a veteran who has been with the team for many years, will also be retained by the team. For Fernando, such an operation should also give him a better chance of securing his contract next season. And with his market conditions, he can basically only get a base salary, even if he is cut by the Eagles on July 10, he can also get a base salary contract for himself.
In the NBA regular season this season, Fernando played a total of 45 games for the team, averaging 15.2 minutes per game, averaging 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 58.3% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line. Fernando's performance this season has not been particularly bad, he has a good basket efficiency on the offensive end, and he can use his strength in terms of confrontation ability to put some pressure on opponents on the defensive end. Of course, after all, Fernando's limited size, mediocre athleticism, and rough technique make it unrealistic to expect him to be a good starter-level centre-forward. But on the flip side, as a player on a base salary contract, he was able to do what he was supposed to do. For the Eagles, it was also a more reasonable decision to keep him without a better option.