Blazers' Donovan Clingan Had Surprise Reaction to Draft-Day Trade for Yang Hansen

While much of the NBA has moved towards free-flowing small-ball lineups, the Portland Trail Blazers opted to zag the other way with the hopes of bludgeoning opponents into submission via sheer size and mass.

One year after taking 7-footer Donovan Clingan in the lottery, the Portland Trail Blazers double-dipped and went for another 7-footer in the first round — grabbing Chinese big man Yang Hansen.

On the surface, this wouldn't appear to make much sense, considering it is highly unlikely that both would play together on the court at the same time.

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big men, little cameras 🤣📸

during media day, we gave Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen little cameras to roam with! pic.twitter.com/naYxzWrP9G
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 8, 2025

Having said that, there could be some method to the madness, and that's possessing a starter-level big man on the court at all times, even when going up against opponents and their reserve-level centers.

Joe Freeman of OregonLive dug into this premise a bit further with an article focused on the development of Clingan. When speaking with former UConn star, Clingan admitted that he was excited in playing with his new teammate.

"And while it shocked the NBA world when the Blazers acquired Hansen on draft night — just one year after it selected Clingan with the No. 9 overall pick — imagine what was going through Clingan’s mind.They play the same position. They stand the same size. There’s only one year difference in their age.

"Most NBA players would have been incensed. But Clingan? “I was excited,” he said. Wait … what?“ I was here to watch his (predraft) workout,” Clingan said. “I saw he was very talented and thought it would be fun to play alongside him. His passing ability, the way he can score, his footwork; there are a lot of different aspects he brings. We can swap each other out. I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

It will be fascinating to see how head coach Chauncey Billups deploys his two young centers.

More news: Yang Hansen Has Lineup Request for Blazers Coach Chauncey Billups

pic.twitter.com/3ubTRK1WfE
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 8, 2025

Clingan is known more so as the defensive stopper with some truly elite metrics in blocking shots and rebounding the basketball. He'll be the starter up front on opening night, and there's a world in which he develops into an All-NBA Defense member.

Hansen is more inclined to impact on the offensive end of the floor. It's unfair to compare him to Nikola Jokic, but there are some similarities pertaining to his skill level, lack of natural athleticism, elite feel, passing ability, and penchant for carving out space with his body to positively make plays.

At the very worst, this will be a very intriguing team to watch this year.

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.