Trail Blazers' selection of Yang Hansen becomes more baffling

Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen (16) greets fans as he walks toward the court or locker room before the game against the Washington Wizards at Moda Center. Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Tampering violations make Trail Blazers' selection of Yang Hansen more baffling

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 10:22 PM ET

No team would break NBA rules to add rookie center Yang Hansen, except for the Portland Trail Blazers.

On Wednesday, the league confirmed it has fined the Blazers $100K and suspended assistant general managers Sergi Oliva and Mike Schmitz for two weeks without pay for contacting Hansen in December 2023, well before the 20-year-old Chinese center was eligible for the NBA Draft. Teams, of course, are prohibited from connecting with prospects before they declare.

Trail Blazers respond to allegations

The Trail Blazers admitted to wrongdoing and released a statement.

"When this was brought to our attention, the Portland Trail Blazers self-reported to the NBA," the team said in a statement, per ESPN's Shams Charania. "The team cooperated fully with the investigation and accepts the league's determination."

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/qwS5bJogse
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 1, 2026

Statement from the Trail Blazers: "When this was brought to our attention the Portland Trail Blazers self reported to the NBA. The team cooperated fully with the investigation and accept the league's determination." https://t.co/Yns0w0pSgB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 1, 2026

Trail Blazers' selection of Yang Hansen in 2025 NBA Draft was surprising

The Trail Blazers took Hansen with pick No. 16 in the 2025 draft after acquiring the selection in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. The choice came as a shock, but the team said it had been following the 7-foot-1, 270-pounder closely. We now know they were following him too closely.

Hansen still seemed stunned when Portland selected him.

The center said through a translator he had worked out with the Blazers before the draft, but "at the end of the day, it was beyond [my] wildest imagination."

Hansen played two seasons for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association before making the jump to the NBA. He averaged 15.8 points per game on 56.9% shooting in two seasons with the team.

The league isn't a cakewalk, as it has featured former NBA stars such as Stephon Marbury and Tracy McGrady. But the center's game hasn't translated yet.

Through 41 games, Hansen had averaged 2.3 points per game, 1.6 rebounds per game and 0.5 assists per game. Shortly before the news broke, the Trail Blazers announced they had assigned him to the Rip City Remix, their G-League affiliate.

OFFICIAL: The @trailblazers have assigned center Yang Hansen to the @ripcityremix.
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) April 1, 2026

Why did the Trail Blazers want Hansen so bad again? The big man has yet to show he's worth the lengths Portland went to land him.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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