Exposing the Trail Blazers' Penalty: 2023 Scouting of Yang Hansen Violated League Rules, No Impact on Hansen Himself

On April 2 Beijing time, the NBA officially announced a $100,000 fine against the Portland Trail Blazers and penalized two management members, because the team had improper contact with Yang Hansen two years before he was drafted. Trail Blazers assistant general manager Mike Schmitz and Sergi Oliva were each suspended without pay for two weeks; the team stated this violation was self-reported.

Schmitz and Oliva traveled to China in December 2023 to scout Yang Hansen. According to league rules, teams are prohibited from contacting prospects before they officially declare for early entry into the draft. Frontline reporters indicated this penalty has no effect on Hansen personally.

Background of the Involved Executives

Mike Schmitz: Joined the Trail Blazers in 2022, previously served as an NBA draft analyst for ESPN for five seasons, and also worked as a video coordinator in the development league.

Sergi Oliva: Joined the Trail Blazers in 2022, previously served as an assistant coach under Quin Snyder at the Utah Jazz for two seasons. This season, he also concurrently serves as the general manager of the Trail Blazers' development league team, Rip City Remix.

Yang Hansen was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 16th pick in the first round of the 2025 draft, a choice that surprised many at the time—most teams evaluated him only as a mid-second-round prospect. The Trail Blazers' official statement said: "Once discovered, the Portland Trail Blazers immediately self-reported this matter to the NBA. The team fully cooperated with the investigation and accepts the league's decision."

The 20-year-old center played 41 games for the Trail Blazers this season, averaging only 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists; however, in 14 regular-season games in the development league, he averaged 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, performing significantly better than in NBA games.

Portland media reports it remains unclear whether the Trail Blazers will face more severe penalties, but losing two assistant general managers in the short term could adversely affect the team's preparations ahead of the 2026 NBA draft. The Trail Blazers hope Yang Hansen can become one of the team's long-term core players, but his playing opportunities with the NBA team this season have been very limited.

Yang Hansen was originally not expected to be a high draft pick, with some analysts believing he was at best an early second-round candidate. Now knowing the Trail Blazers contacted him before he became a hot prospect somewhat explains why the team selected him at that time. The Trail Blazers hope Hansen can develop gradually, but with Clingan performing well in his second season, whether Yang Hansen can ultimately meet the team's expectations remains to be seen.