The Portland Trail Blazers fanbase needs to smash the alarm button right now. Tom Dundon might move the team. This situation feels similar to the Seattle SuperSonics 18 years ago; the SuperSonics are still in Oklahoma City. Portland needs to make a move now, or its franchise could prove a second-tier option in Austin. This article’s meant to be scary, ask Sonics fans. Oregon’s politicians and financial elites need to formulate a plan to protect the team. In 2014, the Sacramento Kings almost moved to Seattle, but Sacramento Mayor and former Kings player Kevin Johnson said no. PDX has gotta go dawg mode, forget the Pacific Northwest chill, the Blazers need some help.
What’s Happening Now?
It would be different if this were some random notion, but Dundon’s using relocation as a threat right now.
And others are taking notice. Bill Oram of the Oregonian stated, “If the door is even cracked slightly, you’d have to think the Dallas-bred Thomas Dundon would leap at the chance to get into his home state’s capital city.”
And Texans are a proud group.
What makes this troubling is that multiple markets are vying for NBA franchises.
Even if Las Vegas gets an expansion team, the Texas thing could still happen.
Oram also reflected this, “Even if the cities of emeralds and sin get two teams, there are still plenty of large markets that want to get in the game. Nashville and Austin are the two most obvious.”
The situation’s serious, but it feels like local officials will eventually pay the extra $235 million. This will bring the total for Moda Center renovations to $600 million.
The initial dough came from the state, and this time he’s asking the city and council instead.
Learning From History
Seattle’s fate was sealed from the beginning when Howard Schultz sold the Sonics to Clay Bennett. It was obvious what was going to happen.
For a quick recap, in July of 2006, after the Washington State Legislature denied Schultz’s request for funding a new arena, he later sold the Seattle Storm and Sonics to Bennett and other Oklahoma City bigwigs.
The group said they’d make a “good-faith effort” to keep the team in the 206. Instead, they traded Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics and Rashard Lewis in a sign-and-trade to Orlando. Seattle could’ve had Kevin Durant, Lewis, and Allen on the same roster.
The SuperSonics moved to OKC before the 2008-2009 season.
But Johnson and Sacramento took a different approach.
In the spring of 2012, the Maloof Family, who owned the team, and Johnson were struggling to agree on a new arena deal. This put the Kings in a potential relocation scenario.
Sensing weakness, a group from the Emerald City led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer tried to move the team to Seattle. But Johnson acted quickly.
A group of investors from Sactown, led by TIBCO CEO Vivek Ranadive, matched the initial $358 million offer. When Ballmer raised the price to $406 million, the Sacramento group matched again.
In April of 2013, the NBA Board of Governors Relocation Committee voted against relocating the Kings.
What’s Next?
Right now, it’s about acting quickly—Mayor Keith Wilson’s in a difficult spot. There are more important things on the political spectrum than sports, but losing the Blazers feels catastrophic.
One option is to use a city clean energy fund to make the payment, but this raises ethical concerns. There are other options, but this makes the most sense financially.
It feels like Oregon politicians are trying to find the perfect option rather than just making a move. City Council President Jamie Dunphy stated, “The city council is going to take as much time as it needs because getting this right matters.”
This feels somewhere between Sacramento’s aggressive style and Seattle’s passive approach.
The most important thing is to treat this as an immediate threat rather than a bluff. Some officials have called this a “massive bluff,” and that mentality could prove dangerous.
It’s also important to note that due to NBA expansion, it’s unlikely that Portland would get a shot at a new team for quite a while.
The Moda Center’s a top ten environment regardless of a $600 million infusion, but that’s what’s needed to keep the team in the city.
Conclusion
There are more important things than sports, but the Blazers are a legendary institution in PDX. With the departure of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Sonics, the Trail Blazers are the Pacific Northwest’s team. But even with local support, this franchise could disappear like a hiker in the Appalachians. Hopefully, the legislatures and Dundon can find some middle ground for the betterment of everyone.
Sources
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rumor-suggests-portland-trail-blazers-184833100.html
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