‘Recipe For Relocation:’ Portland Trail Blazers Get Bad News About Team’s Future

The Portland Trail Blazers’ future in the city of Portland has been uncertain since the tense, high-stakes negotiations between new ownership under Tom Dundon and city leaders over a proposed $573 million public investment for Moda Center renovations tied to an uneasy 20-year lease deadline.

On NBA Today on Tuesday, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst delivered a grim reality check for the Blazers as he believed Dundon has been adamant about shelling out money for the renovations and is okay being seen as the bad guy in the city amid all the negotiations. 

“It’s realistic but it’s definitely not a done deal,” Windhorst said on the Trail Blazers’ possible relocation out of Portland.  

“Tom Dundon is not interested, by his own words, in giving any money for this renovation. And it’s a messy one. It’s not a good development if you’re a Blazers fan. Tom Dundon is not someone to be trifled with. He has no problem being blunt, no problem being unpopular, and has no connection to the city of Portland.”

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Portland Trail Blazers Receive Major Bad News About The Team’s Future

Windhorst then dropped some massive bad news for the Trail Blazers fans who face anxiety about their team’s future. 

“It is a recipe for relocation. It’s just not something that is going to be very clearly defined right now,” he said. 

Notably, the current lease of the Trail Blazers in Moda Center will end in 2030.

According to multiple reports, Dundon demanded full public financing to sign a 20-year lease extension, but the city has countered with strict terms. The terms included a $3 million annual property tax offset, mandatory union-labor agreements, and transparency on project designs.

The Trail Blazers have labeled these city requirements a “non-starter” and refused to share renovation details.

City pundits fear Dundon is intentionally running out the clock to trigger a relocation excuse before the state’s critical August 12 funding deadline passes.

The Moda Center has been the Trail Blazers’ home arena since 1995, when it was still known as the Rose Garden until Moda Health secured the naming rights, and it was renamed the Moda Center in 2013.

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Blazers Could Build Their Own Building Somewhere

In an earlier report by The Athletic’s Jason Quick, the Trail Blazers have another option to just build a different arena in the city if negotiations with city officials do not come through. 

“A Blazers source said the team has been examining other recent arena deals in Oklahoma City and Utah, and may start looking for a new deal in Portland — which might even include asking for a new arena in Portland,” Quick reported.

The NBA has also looked at the situation. According to commissioner Adam Silver, the league is ensuring that the Trail Blazers remain in Portland. 

“I was hoping more progress would’ve been made by now on that agreement, and it seems to have gone off track in various ways,” Silver said. “I have a colleague who’s day-to-day on it, but we are working with both sides to ensure that the Trail Blazers can have a long-term future in Portland. But there are several open issues that still need to be resolved.”

The issue has overshadowed the Blazers’ roster advancements this offseason, where they added Ja Morant to a promising core led by franchise legend Damian Lillard, Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. 

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