NBA fined Portland Trail Blazers $10,000 for making illegal contact with Yang Hansen two years prior to drafting him, Assistant General Managers suspended..
2026-04-06 07:18
The Athletic reported on Sunday that the Portland Trail Blazers have been fined $100,000 for violating draft rules by illegally contacting Yang Hansen for two years before the draft. Two of the team's Assistant General Managers have also been suspended for their involvement in the scheme.
According to the report, the Blazers' management self-reported the matter to the NBA upon discovering it.
The investigation found that Assistant General Managers Mike Schmitz and Serge Oliva had been illegally contacting Yang Hansen since December 2023, repeatedly expressing the Blazers' interest in signing him over a two-year period before the draft. This constitutes a serious violation of the rule prohibiting teams from contacting any potential draft picks before the draft.
Due to the overwhelming evidence, the NBA has decided to fine the Portland Trail Blazers $100,000, and Schmitz and Oliva will be suspended for two weeks.
Attempts to contact Schmitz and Oliva were unsuccessful, and both declined to comment before press time.
Schmitz was hired by the Trail Blazers in 2022. Prior to that, he served five seasons as an NBA draft analyst for ESPN and also worked as a video coordinator in the G League.
Sergi Oliva was also hired by the Trail Blazers in 2022. He joined the team after two seasons as an assistant coach to Quin Snyder for the Utah Jazz.
Last season, he also served as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers' G League affiliate, Rip City Remix.
Yang Hansen, a 2.16-meter center from Zibo, Shandong, is only 20 years old. He was unexpectedly selected 16th overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2025 NBA Draft, defying most teams' predictions that he would be selected in the middle of the second round.
To date, Yang Hansen has played 41 regular season games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game.
In addition, he played 14 G League games for Rip City Remix, averaging 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
Image source: Internet / The Athletic
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