Lost in the shuffle of major offseason moves and the situation involving Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers, and the Raptors has been the standoff between Trail Blazer ownership and Portland over their arena. While perceived threats of relocation loom, NBA itself may not be willing to work with that strategy.
Tom Dundon only recently became part owner of the Blazers, and it's already a mess. His alleged cheapskate mentality has rubbed fans, city officials, and even the NBA the wrong way. That being said, some believe all of this is part of a larger plan to move the franchise.
At the moment, Dundon is fighting with Portland over updates to the Moda Center which could cost as high as $600 million. The expectation of his ownership group is that the money will come solely from public sources, and intend to make no private financial contributions to this endeavor.
Not surprisingly, the public is not happy with his stance. The ownership group has pushed back against the city on many terms they have sought for the agreement, such as annual property tax offsets and labor peace agreements. Blazer's executives are seemingly unwilling to negotiate.
The larger plan behind the scenes for the Blazers
On top of all of this, Dundon has been critical of many aspects of the franchise being in Portland. Specifically, he has highlighted local taxes, political environment, and general economic stagnation as major obstacles to successfully operating the Blazers, who have been in the city since 1970.
It's important to note that neither Dundon nor the ownership group have threatened to move the franchise from Stumptown. At the same time, the unwillingness to negotiate on the Moda Center costs combined with his very specific complaints about the city feel like the laying of groundwork.
The Blazers are committed to remain in Portland in the Moda Center through 2030. But the narrative coming out of the franchise's executive team carries the implication of a desire to leave. At the very least, it certainly feels like that option is a card that could be played in the coming years.
Naturally, this would be a kick in the gut for a city that has faithfully supported this franchise for nearly 60 years. It's move has been pulled by other teams in a variety of sports to get what they want from local and state officials. Yet, it might not work the way some might think in the modern NBA.
Adam Silver will likely not be on board with such a move
Under the direction of commissioner Adam Silver, the league has been pushing expansion to new markets, not leaving current ones. He has never publicly taken a hard stance against moving franchises, but he has also made it clear that this would be a last resort.
It would be surprising to see Silver support the Blazers moving as there's a push to get the Super Sonics back in Seattle. There's even talk of the NBA returning to Vancouver. The goal is to reignite professional basketball in the Pacific Northwest. Losing a team from that region is counterintuitive.
Right now, Silver and the NBA are involved in the negotiations between the Dundon ownership group and the City of Portland. The goal is to try to mediate the situation, and find a path forward that works for both sides. It's hard to see how that will happen without an unlikely compromise from Dundon.
More and more, it seems like Dundon's group is aiming for departure, and is using these negotiations to set the foundation for their argument to make such a move. If they can paint the city as impossible to work with, they might get Silver on board. Unfortunately, it's the fans who get caught in the middle.
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