NBA fines Trail Blazers $100,000, suspends assistant GMs for draft violation

The NBA fined the Portland Trail Blazers $100,000 and suspended two front office members for illegal contact with Yang Hansen two years before the team drafted him, the league announced Wednesday.

Assistant general managers Mike Schmitz and Sergi Oliva were suspended for two weeks after the Blazers said they self-reported the violations. Both Schmitz and Oliva scouted Hansen in China in December 2023. Teams are prohibited from contacting prospects before they make an early declaration for the draft.

Schmitz was hired in 2022 after serving as an NBA Draft analyst for ESPN for five seasons. He has also served as a video coordinator in the G League. Calls to Schmitz were not returned Wednesday.

Oliva was hired in 2022 after serving two seasons as an assistant coach under Quin Snyder with the Utah Jazz. This season, he also served as the general manager of Portland’s G League team, the Rip City Remix. Oliva did not return messages.

Hansen, a 7-foot-1 center from China, was a surprise selection in the 2025 draft, going 16th to the Blazers when most teams had him with a mid-second round draft evaluation.

“When this was brought to our attention, the Portland Trail Blazers self-reported to the NBA,” the team said in a statement. “The team cooperated fully with the investigation and accept the league’s determination.”

The 20-year-old Hansen has appeared in 41 games and averaged 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists. He has appeared in 14 G League games and averaged 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists.