NBA Fines Blazers $100,000 for Illegal Hansen Contact

The NBA has fined the Portland Trail Blazers $100,000 and suspended two assistant general managers for two weeks without pay after the team made illegal contact with Chinese center Yang Hansen in December 2023, well before he became eligible for the draft.

The league announced the penalties on Wednesday, citing a violation of rules prohibiting teams from scouting or interacting with players who have not yet declared for the draft. Assistant general managers Mike Schmitz and Sergi Oliva were involved in the improper contact during a scouting trip in China, when Hansen was 18 years old and playing professionally there. The Blazers selected the 7-foot-1 center with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, acquiring the selection in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night.

"When this was brought to our attention, the Portland Trail Blazers self-reported to the NBA," the team said in a statement. "The team cooperated fully with the investigation and accepts the league's determination." NBA officials noted the franchise's cooperation as a factor in the relatively modest punishment, which underscores the league's efforts to maintain fairness in the predraft process.