The NBA has hit the Portland Trail Blazers with a heavy penalty for “violating league rules governing contact with ineligible players for the draft” by scouting 7-foot Chinese talisman Yang Hansen in December 2023.
Portland selected the center with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft as part of a draft night trade with the Grizzlies.
The NBA announced Wednesday that it will fine the Trail Blazers $100,000 and suspend assistant general managers Sergi Oliva and Mike Schmitz for two weeks without pay each.
Two front office employees scouted Hansen, who was 18 at the time, and made illegal contact with him before he became draft-eligible.
“When we learned of the matter, the Portland Trail Blazers notified the NBA itself,” the league said in a statement. According to ESPN.
“The team cooperated fully with the investigation and accepts the league’s decision.”
Hansen, a Chinese national, was a two-time All-Star for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The 20-year-old rookie is averaging 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per game over 41 games with Portland this season.
The Trail Blazers are 39-38 and currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference, just a half-game behind the eighth-place Clippers, and will compete in the league’s Play-In Championship.
Portland secured its spot in the Play-In Championship with a 134-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets last week.