6 hours ago
Could Portland actually be on the verge of losing the Blazers? I spoke to multiple NBA ownership-level sources this week. Everyone had the same take: Dundon is bluffing and simply trying to squeeze as much as he can out of the city of Portland. Or, as one said, "There's nowhere for him to go." For one, you can take Seattle and Vegas off the board. NBA owners want the expansion fees, expected to land in the $6-7 billion range. As one source put it to me, "Even if I liked Tom a lot, I like $200 million a lot more." As for other markets: even if you believe a place like Kansas City or Nashville is ready for an NBA team, the math doesn't check out for someone who approaches ownership the way Dundon does. He'd have to pay a relocation fee, then spend to renovate or build an arena in the new city, all in a market without the built-in fan base he already has in Portland. It'd be bad business. So why is Dundon being so aggressive and antagonistic toward Portland now? Especially when, as one source put it, "None of this was a secret.
He bought Portland and knew it needed a new arena. It's not like he found an accounting error in the books." "My guess is because he knows that the second the NBA moves on Seattle and Vegas, he loses all his leverage," a different ownership source said. "He knows he's got a very tight window now to play this game, and I guess he's going for it." That said, one line, from a third source who's dealt with plenty of owners and team sales, stuck with me. "If the plan was to come in and bully a bunch of politicians in Portland, well he clearly didn't do any research." So, the good news for Blazers fans: Most people around the NBA think the team's remaining in Portland. The bad news is that it looks like Tom Dundon is going to be part of your lives for a long time.
He bought Portland and knew it needed a new arena. It's not like he found an accounting error in the books." "My guess is because he knows that the second the NBA moves on Seattle and Vegas, he loses all his leverage," a different ownership source said. "He knows he's got a very tight window now to play this game, and I guess he's going for it." That said, one line, from a third source who's dealt with plenty of owners and team sales, stuck with me. "If the plan was to come in and bully a bunch of politicians in Portland, well he clearly didn't do any research." So, the good news for Blazers fans: Most people around the NBA think the team's remaining in Portland. The bad news is that it looks like Tom Dundon is going to be part of your lives for a long time.