Yang Hansen ended up being drafted by the franchise roughly two years later.
The Portland Trail Blazers have been a significant storyline around the NBA over the past week for more than just their on-court play. Not only did new ownership become official this week with Tom Dundon and his group taking over the reins, which appears to be a positive development for the franchise, but now Portland is back in the news for a much different reason.
On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced that the Trail Blazers were being fined $100,000 for improper scouting and illegal contact involving Yang Hansen in 2023, when he was still a draft-ineligible player. As a result, the league also suspended assistant GMs Mike Schmitz and Sergi Oliva for two weeks without pay. Portland reportedly self-reported the issue and fully cooperated with the league’s investigation, which likely helped soften the overall punishment.
What makes the situation more notable is that Hansen was later selected by Portland with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, meaning the player tied to the violation ultimately ended up in the organization anyway. That adds an extra layer of intrigue to the story, even if it is still not publicly known exactly what action crossed the line. Whether it was a private workout, a direct meeting, an interview, or some other form of prohibited contact, the league determined it violated rules regarding contact with draft-ineligible players.
At the time of the contact, Hansen was not viewed as some can’t-miss, franchise-altering prospect in the way someone like Victor Wembanyama was. He had long been a recognizable young name in Chinese basketball, but this was not a case involving a universally celebrated top-tier prodigy.
In fact, even when Portland drafted him in 2025, the pick was widely viewed as a reach by many evaluators, with Hansen generally seen more as a late-first or second-round type of developmental prospect entering the process. That context is part of why this punishment does not come off as especially severe, particularly with the Blazers self-reporting and cooperating. Hansen was later regarded as a player who improved his stock during the 2025 pre-draft process, including at the combine, but he was still seen by many as a developmental swing rather than a polished, sure-fire NBA starter.
Before becoming a member of the Trail Blazers, Hansen, a 7-foot-1 center from China, played for Qingdao. He is known for being highly skilled for his size, with soft touch, strong feel as a passer, and the kind of offensive skill set that makes him intriguing as a long-term project. He is not viewed as the next Nikola Jokic or anything close to that level of offensive engine, but he does have real talent for a player his size. The appeal has always been tied to his blend of size, touch, feel, and upside, even if he remains a developmental player who may need time before becoming a meaningful contributor at the NBA level.
That’s the latest news coming out of Portland as the Blazers try to move forward from an eventful week that has now included both a major ownership change and a public disciplinary action from the league.