Blazers Fined, Front Office Suspended for Early Contact with 2025 Draft Pick

NBA penalizes Portland for scouting a player years before he was eligible for the draft.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 2:52am by Ben Kaplan

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The NBA has fined the Portland Trail Blazers $100,000 and suspended two assistant general managers for two weeks without pay for violating league rules regarding contact with draft-ineligible players. The violations stem from the team's scouting of Yang Hansen, who they ultimately selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, years before he was eligible to be drafted.

Why it matters

This penalty highlights the NBA's strict rules around contact between teams and prospective draft picks prior to the year they are eligible. The Blazers' early scouting of Hansen, while impressive, crossed a line and resulted in a significant fine and suspensions for key front office members.

The details

In December 2023, Blazers assistant GMs Sergi Oliva and Mike Schmitz traveled to China to scout Yang Hansen, who was playing for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association. At the time, Hansen was 19 years old and not yet eligible for the NBA Draft. The Blazers later traded up to select Hansen with the 16th overall pick in the 2025 Draft, sending the 11th pick and other assets to the Grizzlies. Portland GM Joe Cronin acknowledged the team had been scouting Hansen 'for almost two years' prior to drafting him.

  • In December 2023, Blazers assistant GMs Sergi Oliva and Mike Schmitz traveled to China to scout Yang Hansen.
  • In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Blazers traded up to select Yang Hansen with the 16th overall pick.

The players

Yang Hansen

A 7-foot-1, 270-pound center who was selected 16th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2025 NBA Draft. Hansen played two seasons for the Qingdao Eagles in China's top professional league before being drafted.

Joe Cronin

The general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, who acknowledged the team had been scouting Yang Hansen 'for almost two years' prior to drafting him.

Sergi Oliva

An assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers, who was suspended for two weeks without pay for violating NBA rules regarding contact with draft-ineligible players.

Mike Schmitz

An assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers, who was suspended for two weeks without pay for violating NBA rules regarding contact with draft-ineligible players.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Portland Trail Blazers

“We've been scouting him deeply for almost two years now. We had a scout identify him during one of his under-18 events. And then we sent Mike and Sergi, our two assistant GMs, over to China that fall to go scout him live. When they came back from that trip, they left very, very impressed.”

— Joe Cronin, General Manager, Portland Trail Blazers

What’s next

The Blazers will need to ensure their front office staff fully understands and complies with NBA rules regarding contact with draft-ineligible players going forward.

The takeaway

This penalty serves as a reminder that the NBA takes violations of its draft rules very seriously, even when a team is trying to get an early jump on scouting promising young talent. The Blazers' cooperation likely helped mitigate the punishment, but this incident will force them and other teams to be more cautious in their pre-draft player evaluations.