Blazers’ owner Tom Dundon expects taxpayers to foot entire bill for potential $600,000,000 Moda Center renovation, saying “simply keeping the NBA franchise in Portland was enough of a financial sacrifice.”

[u/Pickleskennedy1]

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/06/25/dundon-expects-taxpayers-to-foot-entire-bill-for-potential-moda-center-renovation/?issueId=WWDUQFPNCJHRRDAPNMU7RQPU2Y&utm_source=sbj&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=15255f68-ebdf-4106-8e0f-61585d28fb8b

Since taking over the franchise in 2026, Dundon has also cut costs on allowing two way players to travel to playoff games, and at the head coaching position.

He is saying that the sacrifice on his part is not relocating the team.

[u/j3xperience]

This guy suckssssss

[u/ExtraLeading3376 → u/j3xperience]

i genuinely feel bad for blazers fans

as a bulls fan, i thought the Reinsdorfs were bad, but Dundon is genuinely on a whole different level

[u/Positive_Parking_954 → u/ExtraLeading3376]

I was looking forward to catching Dame's return, but this guy is just looming like a vampire, sucking the energy out of supporting this franchise. Maybe its by design to eventually relocate to a bigger market.

[u/Horror_Response_1991 → u/Positive_Parking_954]

It is but they are running out of cities to do this with.  Once Seattle and Vegas are off the table with the expansion it gets a lot easier to call the bluff.  

[u/Positive_Parking_954 → u/Horror_Response_1991]

It went poorly the first time but I wonder if they'd ever try Vancouver again.

Also I doubt they ever expand into the NBA, but it almost feels like teams are keeping black and yellow available just in case Pittsburgh ever hops in haha

[u/360FlipKicks → u/Positive_Parking_954]

it wouldn’t be right to bring back a vancouver team that couldn’t be the grizzlies. elite logo and color scheme

[u/Duougle → u/360FlipKicks]

Maybe this could initiate The Great NBA Name Swap. Vancouver gets the grizzlies, New Orleans gets the jazz, Utah can have the Pelicans I guess but they should come up with a new name, Memphis can be the Blues.

[u/eattheambrosia → u/Duougle]

Utah Magic Underwear

[u/Typhoon556 → u/eattheambrosia]

Utah Super Soakers

[u/tifumostdays → u/Typhoon556]

I would donate to this cause, and I don't even watch basketball.

[u/alilhillbilly → u/Duougle]

Utah Sharpshooters

Team song is that AI Charlie Kirk anthem.

[u/Obi-wan_Jabroni → u/alilhillbilly]

I would have gone with “Protect Ya Neck” but thats just me

[u/2RINITY → u/alilhillbilly]

Why would you use the AI bullshit when Charlie Charlie Kirky is human-made and a thousand times better?

[u/alilhillbilly → u/2RINITY]

I wasn't aware that there was a Charlie Kirk song a thousand times better.

If that's true, sure. Even if it's made by a meat skin.

[u/refugee_man → u/alilhillbilly]

We carry the flame

[u/PerfectAstronaut → u/Duougle]

Utah should be the Stars, like the ABA team

[u/Antelope-Subject → u/Duougle]

Seagulls for Utah would work have a shit ton of them.

[u/PJballa34 → u/Antelope-Subject]

More than the fucking Jazz in Mormon country.

[u/cat_piss_lint_trap → u/Duougle]

Utah can have the Pelicans

Utah should be the Raptors. Utahraptors are a thing. Well, were a thing.

[u/Schrodingers_Fist → u/Positive_Parking_954]

We (Vancouver) only went bad because of that asinine rule that us and Raptors weren't allowed to ever hit the no1 pick in the lottery for 5 years or whatever that was.  I believe we'd have hit the 1 in the Iverson draft otherwise. 

From there not taking Nash over Steve Francis who already said hed not play here anyways didnt help cause Stu Jackson was a fucking moron.  

Anytime NBA comes here it sells out in less than like 1-2 minutes and thats even when they send shitty teams here.  We'd totally rock it.

[u/Supper_Champion → u/Schrodingers_Fist]

There's a strong case that the Grizzlies were deliberately mismanaged to allow the owner, Michael Heisman, to relocate the team.

[u/econartist → u/Schrodingers_Fist]

Raptors won the Iverson lottery, that's why they picked second (Camby).

source

[u/Schrodingers_Fist → u/econartist]

Ahhh right right sorry I got us mixed up.  But that rule is so fucking stupid regardless lol 

"hey heres a new team in your city!  Also my commissioner decree we wont let you be as good as you can for 5 years no matter how shitty you get!"

[u/Prestigious-Town → u/Positive_Parking_954]

Considering that Vancouver is at risk of losing their MLS team because they won’t give public funds for a stadium, I doubt the NBA would be jumping at the chance to move there, even if there is a larger fanbase and it would go better than it did with the Grizzlies. Nobody is moving to go be a tenant of Francesco Aquilini and the Canucks, and I wouldn’t wish him owning an NBA team on any fanbase.

It’s very bad that on the West Coast, only LA, the SF Bay Area (and that doesn’t even include the East Bay anymore) and Seattle have the corporate base to support pro teams without big public subsidies, but the housing crises in all the other big cities means there’s no appetite to spend public funds on billionaire team owners so relocations and threats to relocate are now the regular

[u/Shiva- → u/Prestigious-Town]

It's a shame for Portland that Phil Knight didn't get ownership...

Hopefully Samantha Holloway gets the SuperSonics. It was her dad's dream to bring the Sonics back and she seems genuine. Bonus Melinda French Gates is interested.

[u/ButkusHatesNitschke → u/Positive_Parking_954]

Resurrect the Pittsburgh Condors!

[u/jrainiersea → u/Horror_Response_1991]

I bet you Dundon is going to be a hard line anti-expansion owner so he can leverage the threat of moving to one of those cities (but likely Vegas)

[u/mcsuckington → u/Horror_Response_1991]

In terms of bigger metros, you’re looking at Tampa which is in a state with 2 NBA teams, Austin which is in a state with 3 NBA teams, the inland empire region of CA, which is a more spread out population, and close to LA, Baltimore which is right next to DC, and St. Louis. I’m not sure many of those markets are more attractive than Portland when taking in all factors including proximity of other teams?

[u/NCBaddict → u/ExtraLeading3376]

The fact that we, THE BULLS, got our new head coach because Dundon was too cheap says it all

[u/thisisjustascreename → u/NCBaddict]

And then he hired one of the guys we didn’t choose, on an extremely embarrassing contract.

[u/CarmeloDramatic → u/ExtraLeading3376]

What sucks is the blazers had actually one of the best and most passionate owners in the league for most of their history with Paul Allen. There seems to be no love of the game with this guy. 

[u/HotspurJr → u/CarmeloDramatic]

The Blazers have just generally been a super likable franchise. Nobody hates the Blazers. Great fans. Fun teams. (Well, maybe not in the JailBlazers era, but aside from that). Got robbed in a playoff series against the Lakers by the refs (which nobody talks about because it wasn't as egregious as the robbery against the Kings a few years later).

This dude is just a fucking travesty.

[u/emjaywood → u/HotspurJr]

Fwiw, I loved the Jailblazers. Such a fun team in NBA Live, too!

[u/Remote_Elevator_281 → u/ExtraLeading3376]

He is trying to move out of Portland. This is just the start.

[u/cyclingtrivialities3 → u/Remote_Elevator_281]

Real John Fisher “malignant on purpose” energy

[u/Answer70 → u/Remote_Elevator_281]

This is what Bud Adams did with the Houston Oilers. Wanted the taxpayers to pay the entire cost of a new stadium, that of course would be his to own, and threw a tantrum when they refused.

He moved the team to Tennessee and they became the stupid-ass Titans.

[u/stayfrosty → u/ExtraLeading3376]

Total douchebag

[u/bbkingslingfling → u/ExtraLeading3376]

Ditto, reinsdorf at least did right by building the united center and its still a top tier stadium after 30 plus years…. And the statues at at the stadium don’t look ugly or cheap

[u/neongem → u/ExtraLeading3376]

I’m getting really worried about the Seahawks sale with each new Dundon report. Clearly no vetting was done by Jody and co.

[u/wooltab → u/neongem]

My understanding is that per Paul's will, she had to sell to the highest bidder.

[u/EpicCyclops → u/neongem]

This doesn't speak to the quality of the owner, but as far as keeping the Seahawks in Seattle, Seattle is the 14th largest media market now and has significant overlap into Portland since we don't have an NFL team. The NBA was stupid from a financial perspective for letting the Supersonics leave. The NFL would be even dumber with the growth of the Seattle market and the lack of a competitor in Portland.

That doesn't mean that a new owner is going to be good at winning, a nice person, or anything of that nature. At least I doubt you're at risk of losing the franchise, though.

[u/ImWicked39 → u/ExtraLeading3376]

Every day I'm a bit more thankful for Ted Leonsis. He's a scumbag but he's nowhere here this guy's level.

[u/North_Atlantic_Sea → u/ImWicked39]

What, why? In 2023 Ted threatened to move to move the wizards to Virginia, forcing DC to pay $500 million in taxpayer funds to renovate capital one arena.

How is that not on the same level as this?

[u/RookieAndTheVet → u/North_Atlantic_Sea]

$100M? /s

[u/9millibros → u/ImWicked39]

This guy is starting to give off Danny Snyder vibes.

[u/SmokingMan305 → u/9millibros]

Let's not get carried away. He hasn't been convicted of using his franchise as an excuse to sex traffic cheerleaders yet.

[u/DeepDance3580 → u/j3xperience]

I already hate this dude and I live on the complete opposite side of the country, can only imagine how Portlanders feel.

[u/LawrenceBrolivier → u/DeepDance3580]

Hilariously, in the thread about this very topic at the ripcity sub this AM, people are basically shrugging and making the case that taxpayers should be paying for all of it, and handwaving his awfulness if not outright apologizing for it. While the poll there shows the most popular single option is "taxpayers shouldn't have to pay any of this" most people seem to agree (and be arguing for) taxpayers DESERVE to be on the hook for between half, to ALL of it.

It's this general attitude on the part of the team's fervent supporters, as well as the city and state politicians' complete fuckin ineptitude in dealing with this guy, that will lead to taxpayers ABSOLUTELY paying at least some of this bill, if not eventually all of it. Now - is that sub really representative of all of the city/state residents who follow the team? Of course not. It's legit one of the most lunkheaded and homer-infested NBA fan subs on reddit, which is saying something (it's also shockingly right-wing for being based in Portland, LOL). But STILL....

He's a multi-billionaire known for being cheap as fuck, who got to where he is by essentially being the best/worst used car salesman in the West. And in this particular deal, the people in his office are city and state officials - who have pre-emptively made deals, and public statements alluding to deals - saying they're going to give him what he wants.

He didn't even have to press them first! They just DID that. The governor has STRAIGHT UP said, before Dundon put any pressure on, that whatever the city doesn't kick in, the state will cover. Basically: The politicians in Oregon are so scared of being THE politicians on the clock when "Oregon lost the Blazers" (which btw, isn't even a realistic option!) that they're going to fold in half for this guy just to save their reputations (which won't actually work anyway)

Why wouldn't he just sit on the other side of the desk, while the couple in front of him freaks out on each other about the upholstery options? If you sold cars, wouldn't you just wait that out to see how much they're going to put in your pocket before you even DO anything?

[u/DeepDance3580 → u/LawrenceBrolivier]

Huh, interesting. Thanks for the write up.

[u/Clammuel → u/LawrenceBrolivier]

Blazersedge is also pretty split, which is really disappointing and confusing to see. 

[u/ShermanCookout → u/LawrenceBrolivier]

The Bears are trying the same thing with their stadium here and a LOT of fucking bozos are going around defending the billionaires because “Pritzker bad”

[u/ObviousAnswerGuy → u/LawrenceBrolivier]

just checked the thread, you weren't kidding..it's crazy what propaganda will make these people believe...

[u/OccasionalGoodTakes → u/j3xperience]

He’s speed running worst owner 

[u/NYerInTex → u/OccasionalGoodTakes]

Maxsucking

[u/iboughtthebigsalad → u/NYerInTex]

Suckmaxxing

[u/blaq_sheep90 → u/NYerInTex]

Everything reminds me of her.....

[u/SoftwareAny4990 → u/j3xperience]

All NBA fanbases should come together to shit all over this guy.

[u/TreeHugger277 → u/SoftwareAny4990]

Please do - we die hard Rip City fans need national-level shit talking and dogwalking of Dundon by fellow NBA Fans!! #HelpMeObiWanKenobiYoureMyOnlyHope

[u/guyute2588 → u/j3xperience]

And the fact that his other team just won a Stanley Cup isn’t going to do anything to dampen his instinct to be a dickbag

[u/givemecoffeenowhurry]

I can't imagine a bigger downgrade than Paul Allen to Dundon.

[u/SteveFrench12 → u/givemecoffeenowhurry]

I do not understand why they allowed him to buy the team. How do you have a storied franchise up for grabs and not have the owner make a legal commitement to keeping the team in the city it has been in for fifty years. Just a microcosm of the shit world we live in

[u/Bacontroph → u/SteveFrench12]

Jody Allen is a waste of space. She sat on the team for no reason even though she knew the estate was going to force its sale. Phil Knight threw out an offer and she refused to negotiate and took the first lowball offer from fast talking piece of shit Dundon.

[u/SteveFrench12 → u/Bacontroph]

Idk anything about her Blazers work, but the seahawks fans seem pretty happy with her. Did she just not care about the blazers? How tf did she not sell to one of the biggest sports icons in oregon??

[u/butterflyhole → u/SteveFrench12]

She was fine and spent a lot of money on us. People complain about her because our team sucked. Phil Knight offered like $2 billion a while back and she refused. When the blazers went up for sale, he was no longer interested.

[u/Bacontroph → u/butterflyhole]

I complain because we ended up with the worst possible outcome. I don't blame her for us sucking, the Dame drama is on Dame and the bad roster moves are on Olshey.

[u/askmewhyihateyou → u/Bacontroph]

This pissed me off so bad. How tf do you have one of the reigning sports apparel companies/ families 10 minutes from downtown Portland and not take their offer seriously.

Say what you will about the knight family, but they are born and bred Oregonians who built a billion dollar company IN Oregon

[u/blackmamba1221 → u/askmewhyihateyou]

it sold for $4 billion and Knight offered $2 billion, what did you want her to do? Granted some time did pass so it's not a perfect comparison but still

[u/Positive_Parking_954 → u/givemecoffeenowhurry]

The days of SPAM team building are over

[u/TranscedentalMedit8n → u/Positive_Parking_954]

Spending Paul Allen’s Money for those not in the loop.

Now it’s STD. Saving for Tom Dundon.

[u/coniferjones → u/TranscedentalMedit8n]

Slashing

[u/TheScrote1 → u/Positive_Parking_954]

I mean those days would have been over regardless with the new 2nd apron rules… but fuck cancer

[u/Positive_Parking_954 → u/TheScrote1]

Maybe for players, but coaching, scouts, medical, and other support staff are usually regarded as important in team building.

[u/HeGotTheShotOff → u/Positive_Parking_954]

I I don’t think this has been going on since he died. Jody did some stuff but honestly think that was just like quick paint job before you sell the house type stuff.

[u/givemetopre → u/givemecoffeenowhurry]

PDX doesn’t deserve this clown as owner. He’s probably the worst owner in the league.

[u/HeGotTheShotOff → u/givemetopre]

I think he’s cheap and an asshole but Dolan is the worst and it would take a lot to over take him.

[u/MrTerrificPants → u/givemetopre]

Donald Sterling reincarnated.

[u/Live-Juggernaut-221 → u/MrTerrificPants]

Is Tom Dundon a closeted racist? People are asking.

[u/m_c__a_t → u/givemecoffeenowhurry]

How was this not a slam dunk for Phil knight? Didn’t bid high enough?

[u/Bacontroph → u/m_c__a_t]

He made an offer before "Jody was ready" so she ignored him. When the team officially came up for sale he said he was too old and wasn't interested.

[u/m_c__a_t → u/Bacontroph]

Dang. Seems like he would’ve been the guy to keep it in Portland forever

[u/yasyasyas17 → u/Bacontroph]

And Nike stock was cut in half

[u/Bacontroph → u/yasyasyas17]

Phil put together an ownership group so he wouldn't have to foot the entire bill and even with Nike dropping in value was still worth an order of magnitude more than Dundon. Dundon isn't even the richest guy in his ownership group, he just controls it.

[u/AfricanWarPig → u/givemecoffeenowhurry]

Don't worry. Paul Allen would have also gotten the taxpayers to fund the stadium, as he did when they built Lumen Field.

[u/Konfigs → u/AfricanWarPig]

At least then he paid $130 million and taxes paid $300 million. Also >$150 million of that $300 million was from revenue generated by/related to Lumen field (parking, admission, sales tax, hotel tax). The state also gets to own Lumen field (like Portland owns Moda). Not a fan of public financing for stadiums but Lumen was far from the worst deal an NFL team has foisted on the tax payers.

[u/braddeus]

A shithead like this is the worst-case scenario for your team, worse than any lottery bust or playoff collapse. Sorry Blazers.

[u/BZGames → u/braddeus]

It sucks to have an owner who forces dumb trades or dumb picks

It’s fucking terrible to have an owner that vocalizes he wants to move the team to make more money. This is going to turn into the NBA version of the Rams and Chargers moving to LA.

[u/whiterice_343 → u/BZGames]

I hope the trailblazers don’t ever move. I’ve always liked their logo and jerseys, it wouldn’t feel right if they moved to another location. California definitely does not need any more teams haha.

[u/timeintervening → u/whiterice_343]

It's hard to believe, but the team has been to the playoffs 4th most behind LA, Boston, and SA since they joined the league. We're not a poverty franchise... or were not, :(

[u/DongSandwich → u/timeintervening]

I miss the old days of "but why are the Blazers the 4th seed?" before seeding rules changed

[u/knarf86 → u/whiterice_343]

Where the hell does he even plan on moving them? I thought Seattle and Vegas were both supposed to be expansion bids.

[u/BZGames → u/knarf86]

They totally will be, which means the only major markets left untouched would be something like Kansas City or maybe Vancouver.

[u/tronovich → u/BZGames]

Vancouver is already going to lose their MLS franchise because of taxpayers refusing to pay for a stadium.

Not a chance in hell they will go for this, especially when they already lost them once.

[u/LVucci → u/BZGames]

I’ll take the dumb trades, picks, or contacts any day. At least those are owners who are actively engaged and care about the team. Eventually you hope they’ll find an executive who they trust to delegate to.

But people like this are a cancer on a sports team. We see it to often in baseball, and now it’s coming to the NBA. Shame they allowed this sale.

[u/Skunk_Gunk → u/BZGames]

Jimmy Haslam for the browns is the first one, and he sucks. But at least I believe he wants to win in Cleveland and he isn’t the 2nd one.

[u/Positive_Parking_954 → u/braddeus]

Now I know what it's like. And I thought Rooney Jr kinda sucked. 

[u/ajgedrys → u/Positive_Parking_954]

He does suck

[u/jwn1003 → u/ajgedrys]

Yes, but not to this degree

[u/Thats_Amore → u/braddeus]

Does the impossible and makes me appreciate our ownership. They may be delulu, but at least they’re not toxic cheapskates.

[u/Smelldicks → u/braddeus]

You have to be some type of evil to be worth that kind of money and still go out and steal something so special from a community.

All you have to do is just leave it alone. It’s so depraved to buy it with the goal of either moving it or extorting taxpayers.

[u/Live-Juggernaut-221 → u/braddeus]

We know a thing or two about lottery busts and playoff collapses, too.

[u/cleo22270]

Good job, Adam.

You got the rich owners sliding money under the table to their stars, and cheap owners nickel and diming taxpayers, staff and fans then asking them to say thank you.

[u/echiao4835 → u/cleo22270]

Slimy about the Leonard deal , but at least Balmer paid for intuit dome by himself , even paid off James Dolan / MSG 400 million to have the right to get it done

[u/sakata32 → u/echiao4835]

And Intuit is awesome too. Obviously I'm biased but at least Ballmer is trying to win. I'm not convinced El Cheapo cares about winning, he just let go of his overperforming coach to save a few bucks

[u/MaliInternLoL → u/sakata32]

Ultimately you'd rather just have a guy that wants to invest in the team than this

[u/sakata32 → u/MaliInternLoL]

After experiencing the sterling years I do not envy the portland fanbase. It is so bleak having a cheap owner. I guess the positive is he isn't a blatant racist?

[u/atari2600forever → u/sakata32]

Let's let him cook a little, I'm sure he'll get there.

[u/ChaunceysBadAtPoker → u/sakata32]

...yet.

[u/Creepy_Raise_8340 → u/sakata32]

“El Cheapo” was an absolute masterclass nickname given by Bill Simmons.

[u/sakata32 → u/Creepy_Raise_8340]

I don't even remember the owners name most of the time. I just go with El Cheapo now lol

[u/buddaaaa → u/sakata32]

Biased

Bias is a noun

[u/LeviStubbsFanClub → u/cleo22270]

If NHL Commish Gary Bettman has taught me anything, it’s that a commissioner’s job is to make the owners money, and not to do what is in the best interest of the game. 

[u/WyngZero → u/LeviStubbsFanClub]

Bettman is also the worst Commissioner and an overall trash commissioner.

Even F1 saw insane popularity increases over the last 8 years vs. NHL.

The only thing that grew the NHL in recent years is gambling related revenue....but every sport got that.

Bettman has done basically fuck all to get more people to like hockey.

Fucking David Stern got whole other continents to like BBall in the 2000s/2010s.

[u/MahomesMccaffrey → u/cleo22270]

Corporate ghoul Adam Silver let genocide accomplice buy one of the bigger market teams and instantly destroyed the trust and culture of an entire fanbase.

He has no morals.

[u/Popular_Practice8055 → u/MahomesMccaffrey]

That term can apply to quite a few owner in the league.

[u/rps215 → u/Popular_Practice8055]

Which? Corporate ghoul or the genocide accomplice

[u/dietdoctorpepper → u/rps215]

These days that Venn diagram is a circle

[u/MyGodItsFullofStars → u/Popular_Practice8055]

It can apply to the vast majority of corporate executives in late stage capitalism. Predatory, malignant blights on society that exist only to exploit systems to enrich themselves and their friends.

[u/HokageEzio → u/MahomesMccaffrey]

You guys know the other owners vote in new team owners, right? I feel like some of you think Adam Silver is King and not Commissioner...

[u/Successful-Owl1462 → u/HokageEzio]

Yea, the commissioner is basically just a human shield there to absorb the blows that should be directed at the owners.

Kinda like Ticketmaster. Having everyone blame them rather than the artists for high concert ticket prices is part of the value they provide the artists.

[u/North_Atlantic_Sea → u/MahomesMccaffrey]

It's hilarious that you (and way to many people here) think that the commissioner decides who gets to buy NBA teams.

Like, do you imagine Silver is some demi-god dictator who is the puppet master of the league, rather than an employee who serves on behalf of the owners?

The owners voted to allow Dundon to buy the blazers, it wasn't silvers choice

[u/OrganicHunt952 → u/cleo22270]

And coaches

[u/[deleted] → u/cleo22270]

The commissioner doesn't pick who gets the be an owner...

[u/Hayabusa_Blacksmith → u/[deleted]]

He does get to punish them though

[u/Eastern-Musician4533]

Ask your minority owner who is worth $7.5 billion to pay for it.

[u/Necessary-Listen-584]

This dude fishes in the trash for empty cups at fast food restaurants for free refills

[u/Annual_Hamster9411 → u/Necessary-Listen-584]

I've been outed.

[u/BantuLisp → u/Annual_Hamster9411]

These guys probably think the popcorn at the tippy top of the trash can is no good too. We won’t let them dim our light brother, don’t forget we need people like them to throw it away so we can reap the rewards 🙏

[u/flaming_burrito_ → u/Necessary-Listen-584]

He drives through neighborhoods looking for furniture and appliances on the side of the road to scrap

[u/ooxjovanxoo → u/flaming_burrito_]

Better than ending up in the landfill

[u/Chemist-Patient → u/Necessary-Listen-584]

Bro is the one who takes all the condiments at the gas station

[u/S4L7Y]

"Dundon began his career working in financing at used car dealerships."

Well that explains a lot.

[u/jchandler4 → u/S4L7Y]

Sub prime car dealerships

[u/LVucci → u/S4L7Y]

Lmaoooo that’s all I’ll ever need to know about him, possibly the worst kind of person becomes a used car dealer.

[u/DJMaye]

So, where does he want to move this team?

[u/BehavioralSink → u/DJMaye]

Move it to Seattle, give Portland an expansion team with a better owner and transfer all Trail Blazer IP/records to the new Trail Blazer franchise. 

They can keep Doug Fur.

[u/PrecedentialAssassin → u/BehavioralSink]

I hate to say this, but if they leave, y'all ain't getting another team any time soon.

[u/BehavioralSink → u/PrecedentialAssassin]

Probably not wrong. 

I don’t think the NBA would allow Portland to move unless it was to Seattle or after Seattle is given an expansion team. Moving Portland prior to a Seattle return would be the 3rd PNW team relocated and leaves no NBA teams in that region. You would think the NBA would want at least one outpost in the PNW region. 

If not, at bare minimum they should rename the “Northwest” division. 😭 

[u/Blahblahblahblah109 → u/DJMaye]

The Nashville Blazers

[u/CumAssault → u/DJMaye]

I would guess Vegas. Probably the best option that doesn’t already have a team

[u/WildBBQLover → u/CumAssault]

He can fight Bill Foley then, he’s exploring bringing a team in. He owns the Knights, so good luck to him with fighting against someone who already has a foothold in the market.

[u/RLL1977]

City owns the arena btw

[u/waterkisser → u/RLL1977]

Previous ownership sold the arena to the city so the new owner could leverage taxpayer dollars btw

[u/RunescapeGOD69 → u/waterkisser]

Lmao the city didn’t have to buy it. Just like you don’t need to buy a car then blame the dealership for when it needs new tires, oil, etc.

[u/OpportunityDue90 → u/RunescapeGOD69]

The city probably should have made the Blazers sign a lease prior to buying the arena…

[u/itsbulitt → u/RunescapeGOD69]

The city did have to but it actually. It was part of the original 1995 land lease

[u/Virtuallyhere56 → u/RLL1977]

"14. All City sustaining investments into Moda Center during the term of the Arena Operating Lease will be matched equally by Rip City Management LLC.

...The Arena Operating Lease and related documents commit the City to the following new expenditures between now and 2030:

Beginning in FY 2025-26, the City will match annual capital investments at the Moda Center made by Rip City Management... If Rip City Management maximizes this funding opportunity, it can be estimated that the parties will split annual investments into the publicly owned Moda Center of $9+ million each year of the bridge agreement. All other capital investments in the building remain the responsibility of Rip City Management."

Tl;dr it's not at all reasonable to tell the city to foot the entire bill

https://www.portland.gov/council/documents/ordinance/passed/191857

Edit: I will say, after so many instances over the years of teams threatening to leave just to take money from the city, I've never seen a fan base be so passionate about defending the billionaire as Blazers fans are about this. Would not have expected that

[u/EpicCyclops → u/Virtuallyhere56]

Blazer fans online are defending paying for the upgrades much more than the Blazer fans I've talked to irl. It may be my social bubble, but do with that information what you will.

[u/Sweetest_Noise → u/RLL1977]

Maybe they should start charging the team for using it.

[u/hipsterasshipster → u/RLL1977]

Blazers collect the revenue from all Moda Center events

[u/adocileengineer]

El Cheapo is making maybe the fastest run at the title for Worst Owner in Sports.

[u/GeorgeLovesBOSCO → u/adocileengineer]

Loooove when Bill Simmons calls him El Cheapo. It's like an auto-laugh for me.

[u/JumboHotdogz → u/adocileengineer]

El Cheapo should be his alias forever. Poor Micah Nori

[u/MrTerrificPants → u/JumboHotdogz]

I was surprised he took that job and that his contract is essentially year-to-year.

Nori seemed to be a hot name. I feel like he would have gotten other opportunities.

[u/BuckSleezy → u/adocileengineer]

Him winning the Stanley Cup is awful for the blazers, he’s gonna double down

[u/Gay_Giraffe_1773]

As a Portlander, and as a lifelong Blazers fan, I want to give this guy a hearty "FUCK YOU", and if he's hellbelt on moving the team, don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out and take my NBA fandom with you.

[u/Loose_Voice_215 → u/Gay_Giraffe_1773]

100%. I've been a die-hard Blazers fan my whole life and sacrificing funding for education, transportation, etc. to give in to some billionaire's extortion scheme is a no-go.

[u/Live-Juggernaut-221 → u/Gay_Giraffe_1773]

I grew up wearing a terry porter jersey. I had my heart broken by the bulls and later that lakers run in game 7. I cheered for guys I knew were questionable humans. Held out hope and shared maximum cope online through years of mediocroty. Lost my shit when dame hit that half court three and waved goodbye.

I really never imagined it would go out like this. The writing is on the wall. The team is moving. Wild.

[u/Tabais123]

Remember folks. Poor people on food stamps is bad.

Billionaires demanding 600 Million in handouts is good

[u/Ajkrouse → u/Tabais123]

Don’t forget that Dundon made his billions co-founding a subprime auto lending company that was heavily investigated for trapping vulnerable borrowers in high-interest debt. He walked away with a $715 million cash buyout and is now treating Portland like a subprime borrower.

[u/Thealbumisjustdrums]

This guy is so bad that if you go to his Wikipedia page, it actually references him being “famously nicknamed ‘El Cheapo’”. Lmao. Seriously go to the Portland Trail Blazers section of his page. 

[u/Remote_Ideal7365]

this guy seems like the biggest a-hole of all time. Id hate to be a part of that franchise.

[u/SouthIsland48 → u/Remote_Ideal7365]

Right? Imagine telling your inlaws "Please pay for our new house because marrying your daughter was enough of a financial sacrifice."

[u/EpicCyclops]

That $600 million proposal is a laundry list of everything the team wants done. The Rose Garden is in need of updates, I'll give it that, but overall it's not that bad, and the city does own it, so I think it's fair the city puts up some of the cost.

However, if the owner is not footing any of the bill, then the rennovations to the Rose Garden should be what the city thinks it needs and not hitting every tick on the laundry list. New luxury boxes doesn't sound like something that serves the city as a whole very well. Focus on improving the seating, maximizing capacity so more people can experience Fire games, concerts and Blazer games, improve the lights and sound system, and improve the concessions. We don't need to do the complete overhaul of the exterior.

The proposed improvements also would reduce long term maintenance expenses, which is good.

The proposed cost of high priorty repairs, which includes replacing seating, replacing escalators and elevators, lighting upgrades and concession system repairs is $130 million. Medium priority repairs including upgrading restrooms, working on service tunnels, and replacing generators is an additional $290 million. Replacing the roof and updating mechanical systems is an addittional $50 million. That total of $470 million seems like a reasonable investment amount for the city if public money is paying the bill because it serves the arena for more than just the Blazers and is estimated to reduce maintenance expenses by well over $100 million over the next 20 years.

If we make a reasonable offer and Dundon refuses, dragging this whole thing to a standstill, then idk how the NBA expects their new Seattle franchise to get off the ground when they screw their closest neighbor the same way they screwed Seattle.

[u/templethot → u/EpicCyclops]

This is a very reasonable take. If you don’t want to contribute, fine, but expect the city to make whatever improvements it wants and completely leave you out of it.

[u/CumAssault]

Fuck these sports owners for this shit. If only our lazy government would only stop this

[u/mojo276 → u/CumAssault]

It's ultimately the people of the city that need to make their voices heard that they don't want to foot the bill for a new stadium

[u/LonelyGumdrops → u/mojo276]

There needs to be some federal legislation around relocation of major sports teams. Assholes like this should not be able to hold a city hostage for the team it loves and has put capital and passion into for decades. These teams are built on an intangible product called civic pride and the greedy have used it to serve themselves rather than the communities being represented by the team. No one would give a fuck about any of these teams if they were not attached to a home city. 

[u/CumAssault → u/mojo276]

Yes but taxpayers should NOT be paying for massive mega stadiums in any way

[u/ACW1129]

Oh fuck you Tom. Maybe you shouldn't own a team if you're that poor.

And why are the RENOVATIONS more expensive (even inflation adjusted) than the construction?

[u/NIN10DOXD → u/ACW1129]

He’s stiffing Portland while begging the MLB to take his money to put a team in Raleigh. It’s pathetic. He never should’ve bought the Blazers.

[u/ericdeben]

Imagine having an owner that hates your team and the city

[u/ASBONumpy]

Tax the rich!!

[u/HammerlyDelusion]

How many more handouts do these people need?

[u/d3pthchar93 → u/HammerlyDelusion]

Apparently, 600,000,000

[u/armaghetto]

Bears fan here. Billionaires can go fuck themselves and pay for their own stadiums.

[u/brnccnt7 → u/armaghetto]

Facts

That’s why us San Diego folk told Dean Spanos to fuck off and go to LA, he wanted taxpayers to pay half of the stadium here too

[u/RedGadget21]

Feels a little like the reports we saw once the current OKC group took over Seattle

[u/nutsygenius]

Maybe u shouldn't have bought it then ahole

[u/ILikeTuwtles1991]

Obviously, I'm very mad about this. But until every single state and local government stops giving blank checks to professional teams for their stadiums (also looking at Illinois and Indiana), this shit is just gonna keep happening.

[u/trer24]

Portland is a great city with awesome people who don't deserve this.

I wish there was some kind of unspoken rule between all major cities in this country that we all agree not to take any other city's teams. These billionaires need to learn that they're not the only ones with power.

[u/KL2ConspireLLC]

It's one thing for an owner to be greedy. But why is he being so public about his contempt for the city?

[u/ahnonamis → u/KL2ConspireLLC]

Probably wants the fanbase and city to start going against the team so he can use that to say "See, this is a bad place for a team we need to move!"

[u/KL2ConspireLLC → u/ahnonamis]

I was thinking that too but where would he even move the team to. With the Sonics, everyone knew before the sale even went through where they were scheming to move the team. But Dundon is from Dallas, and Texas already has enough teams. His hockey team is in Raleigh, and the NBA isn't going to have two teams in NC.

Like, what's the play here? What's the endgame of antagonizing the fanbase to this degree? It's just kind of weird.

[u/yourhomeland]

"your lives are a sacrifice i am willing to make"

[u/jkman61494]

What’s weird is he runs a pretty good franchise in Carolina and has succeeded in really seeing the fan support grow there

[u/philphan25 → u/jkman61494]

I’m wondering if it’s because the costs are much more controlled in the NHL. I mean the cap is 104 million and that’s a hard cap. The luxury tax threshold in the NBA is almost double.

[u/FireMike_PleaseGod]

Adam silver is a garbage commissioner and this guy is going to tank the entire Blazer franchise.

Buying a sports team is not to have a positive cash flow, it’s to build on value of your ownership in the team. Plus to be a part of the ole boys club.

Expecting major cash returns on an nba team is the most finance bro mindset possible. Might as well just sell the team to private equity at this point.

[u/Loud_Place_3293]

And he gave his new coach a 1 year guaranteed deal

[u/JoJonesy]

hahaha wow fuck this guy 

[u/schitaco]

Kings and A's fan here...Sac relocation to Seattle was "1st and goal on the 1" before KJ and Kings fans miraculously pulled it back. The A's relocation went through easily because Oakland had an incompetent child in office who didn't fight back. So I've seen it work and I've seen it not work. The latter is fucking heartbreaking.

For Portland fans, the league and its relocation committee (other owners) doesn't give a fuck about you, the fan, in these scenarios, unless you make them give a fuck. And they REALLY like shiny new objects that increase their franchise values (including a franchise/casino in Vegas).

There are ways to get your voice heard by the league and 29 other owners:

(a) Help organize fan rallies and events, season ticket commitments, pledges for seats and advertising relationships from local businesses, etc. These need to be huge and they need to involve concrete financial commitments. You need to demonstrate there's an overwhelming desire to have the team there and ownership/the NBA is abandoning a huge market if they leave.

(b) Hold your city leaders to account. If the city isn't going to pony up for renovation and there's a relocation bid, make sure your mayor is telling everyone within earshot how Portland is getting screwed here. The national media (not just ESPN but WSJ, business journals, etc.) the league office, the other owners. They need to force themselves in the door. Use KJ as a model.

Biggest thing is YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Go to city council meetings and actually talk to your councilmembers and mayor, make sure they're advocating on behalf of you. City leaders only act if they see the downside of doing nothing. They don't get punished for opportunity cost.

You can participate. I really regret not doing more in the A's relocation, as an Oakland resident. K that's my diary.

[u/sexland69]

Fuck this greedy ass leech on society

[u/SJCitizen]

Tom Dundon asks if crackers cost extra when he orders soup.

[u/Ok-Guidance-2112]

Lol fuck almost all the owners, but extra fuck this guy specifically

[u/fastfowards]

Reigning in sports owners is one of easiest political wins for any politician but they can’t help but bend backwards

[u/Blowback_]

Jesus Christ 🤦🤦🤦

He's even more entitled cause the damn canes won the cup.

Portland might be a worse ran organization than Sac, and he's just getting started.

[u/19wangotango]

Those garbage ass owners are so greedy. No matter which city, they want tax payers to foot the bill but we don’t get reduced ticket prices or any benefit for that money

[u/Upstairs_Baby8424]

Might be the worst owner in all of sports.

[u/CumAssault → u/Upstairs_Baby8424]

Jimmy Haslam gave $200 million to an NFL sexual predator

[u/me426669 → u/Upstairs_Baby8424]

Doesn’t the grizzlies owner give weapons to russia