Portland’s next move on the Trail Blazers can’t be driven by anger, no matter how awkward Tom Dundon made last week’s Portland Metro Chamber annual meeting look.
The team’s new owner gave short answers in a public interview, then left soon after instead of spending time with the business community that has backed the franchise for years. He also made clear he expects Oregonians to help pay $600 million for Moda Center renovations. That was not exactly the kind of performance that builds goodwill.
Still, the editorial case here is blunt: Portland and Oregon cannot let Dundon’s attitude decide the team’s future. The Blazers need to stay anchored in the city past the 2030 end of the current lease, and the window to make that happen is closing. City and county leaders have until December to approve a long-term agreement that would pair $220 million in city and county money with $365 million from the state to renovate the city-owned arena.
The first order of business, according to the editorial, is to narrow the number of people at the table. Mayor Keith Wilson should be joined by City Council President Jamie Dunphy and Vice President Olivia Clark, who represent Districts 1 and 4.
The group should also include a District 2 and 3 councilor, with one of those coming from the Democratic Socialists of America bloc - preferably District 2 Councilor Sameer Kanal, who is still viewed as someone who wants to get a deal done. Multnomah County should also have a seat, since it is being asked to put up $100 million even though it owns no part of the arena and collects no property taxes from it.
There will be objections to a smaller negotiating group, but the editorial argues that the process would not happen in secret. Any agreement would still need a full public discussion and a City Council vote.
A previous effort to create a smaller working group fell apart, but the urgency now is to cut through the noise and land a deal. The public and other councilors would still be free to say what they expect from the final package.
The framework already exists, at least in broad strokes. Earlier this year, Wilson, Dunphy and Clark sent a letter to the NBA laying out an estimated $120 million initial investment and another $285 million in maintenance over 20 years, with lease terms still to be determined.
The editorial says the city should keep that target in view while looking for ways to improve the revenue side. That could mean charging market-rate rent, capturing naming rights revenue, and possibly increasing the 6% user fee on ticket sales while giving the county a share of that money for its contribution, according to J.E.
Isaac, the former longtime Trail Blazers executive who helped negotiate the original Rose Garden deal.
It also raises a bigger question about the city’s assets: whether it is finally time to shut down the aging Memorial Coliseum and open that land to development instead of continuing to spend millions on upkeep.
The Blazers themselves also have work to do. The editorial says the organization needs to show more of a partnership mindset, starting with someone showing up at government work sessions to answer questions and laying out the team’s renovation demands as soon as possible.
That plan should have been out already, but one point is important: the team is not trying to turn Moda Center into a premium-seat playground for the wealthy. Dewayne Hankins, the team’s president, told the editorial board that the Blazers’ last analysis suggested there may already be too many premium seats in the building.
He also said Portland does not have the kind of corporate base that can support the level of premium seating common in many other NBA markets.
That kind of information matters because it can ease public suspicion and clear up bad assumptions.
On the city side, councilors are being urged to stop turning the issue into a set of slogans. The editorial says this should not be framed as a referendum on billionaires, but as a practical decision about improving a city-owned building and keeping an economic and cultural force in Portland.
It also says councilors should drop talk of suing the Trail Blazers for failing to keep the arena in “first class” condition. A 2024 city-commissioned report, the editorial notes, makes clear that the listed improvements are what the building needs over the next 20 years to keep operating, not what has to be in place immediately.
And that report was about maintenance, not a full renovation.
Even with the tension, the editorial’s bottom line is that a deal is still possible if both sides set realistic expectations. If the city and county put up the upfront money, Dundon and the Blazers will need to be open to changes in rent, revenue streams, labor agreements and other community-benefit terms.
But the city also has to face some basic math. Councilors want “living wages” for part-time arena jobs while also demanding food and beverage prices that match street prices. The editorial argues that those goals collide with basic economics.
There is also a larger strategic reason to strike a fair agreement. If Dundon eventually tries to move the team, he would need NBA approval. A credible proposal showing Portland’s commitment to the franchise could help the commissioner and other owners look past the hostile social media posts circulating now and see Portland as the best place for the Blazers to stay.
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Portland has settled its frontcourt situation for now, reaching an agreement to bring back its veteran center after a season in which he gave the team steady minutes off the bench behind Donovan Clingan. He played in 59 games and provided the kind of interior size, rebounding and rim protection the Blazers have valued as they continue sorting out their rotation and long-term identity.
The move matters beyond just keeping a familiar big man in the fold. It keeps Portland below the luxury tax line and preserves the flexibility that comes with it, while also taking one of the more notable centers off the market before free agency fully gets going. For a team trying to balance present-day stability with future maneuvering room, this is the kind of decision that will draw a reaction either way. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Blazers, the logic is easy to follow even if the full picture is still evolving. Moving Jerami Grant opens the door to a cleaner roster fit, while Kris Murray was viewed as more of a limited role piece, and there is at least some belief around the league that Morant could still be revived in the right setting. What happens next will say a lot about how aggressively Portland wants to chase a quicker turnaround, especially with more star movement still looming across the NBA. [Read more 🡒]
Ja Morant Changes Everything As Blazers Face A Second Massive Question
Ja Morants arrival has already changed the conversation around the Trail Blazers, even before he has had a chance to settle in. Portlands new star was in contact with the team soon after the trade and made clear he was excited about joining the group, a welcome sign for a franchise trying to reset its direction in a hurry.
The bigger issue now is that the on-court splash comes with an off-court uncertainty hanging over the organization. With governor Tom Dundon involved in talks over Moda Center renovations and the possibility of a new arena, the Blazers are facing questions that reach well beyond the roster, and the next phase of this rebuild may end up being about more than just Morant. [Read more 🡒]