Just to play devil's advocate, isn't that exactly what Operation Paperclip was?
Probably one reason they kept it secret is the public may not have completely approved, no? Maybe you're arguing the NBA should be doing more to cover up their collusion with an oppressive communist regime that is our enemy?
And the NBA isn't taking Chinese citizens (arguably exploited themselves) and using them to help defeat communism. Or were we really trying to steal Nazi scientists so we could, like, umm, help enable and strengthen and legitimize Nazism?
In fact, consider the cultural and financial power of the NBA? They could actually be taking chinese players and using the power of the NBA to bring about positive change in a communist country. But instead they're doing the opposite, and seem complicit it furthering the communist regime, at worst. At best they look the other way for profit.
Next argument?
The only argument, like I said, is how much evil each of us as individuals is willing to support. It's a fair and adult approach. I was okay with Chinese adults, not kids, being somewhat exploited to make shoes for NBA stars. I was okay with letting players like Yao Ming be players and even cultural ambassadors. Because those things could have brought about positive changes to China and the world, even if perhaps not doing much to improve the product on court.
I'm not okay with concentration camps, unleashing plagues on the world, killing tens of thousands of Americans with fentanyl, endlessly damaging our economy, enacting authoritarian rule over Hong Kong, etc, and not only having the NBA shrug it off for profit, but the NBA actively participating in censoring American citizens who care enough to want to have a discussion on these evils.
It's a sliding scale that everyone has to decide for themselves how much evil they'll condone if the basketball is fun to watch.