For years, since Paul Allen’s death, the Portland Trail Blazers have operated under a cloud of uncertainty.
Every day that his sister Jody Allen controlled the team came with a ticking clock.
Someday, the team will be sold, per Paul Allen’s will, with the proceeds going to charitable endeavors.
Someday has become now, and while the team will soon have a new owner, that cloud of uncertainty is likely not going away anytime soon.
Last week, the team announced that while it would be installing upgrades to the Moda Center’s center-court video scoreboard, other upgrades would be put on hold pending the sale of the team.
On its face, the move is easily understandable. The City of Portland and the team agreed to essentially match contributions for upgrading Moda Center. That agreement followed the city’s purchase of the arena from the Allen estate, and the team and the city subsequently agreed to a lease extension through 2030. With the estate selling the team, of course, they would not invest money in upgrading an asset they wouldn’t care about in 6-12 months. That’s just smart business.
However, it could put the city in a bind with the next owner. There are numerous billionaires who are willing to purchase an NBA team. The Trail Blazers are likely to be acquired for a relative steal, considering the $6.1 billion the Boston Celtics fetched earlier this spring.
It’s even possible some of the same bidders who missed out on the Celtics will be in play for the Trail Blazers. One thing those individuals have in common: they have a substantial amount of money, and they want to make more. Another thing most of them have in common: they don’t have the same ties or passion for the region that Paul Allen did.
That means there will probably not be a “hometown discount” to complete those badly needed arena upgrades. The Rose Quarter has always been an area of unfulfilled promise, and Portland has long had designs on making it a lively hub. With the renovations now on hold, a significant bargaining chip for those plans has been placed in the hands of whoever buys the team.
With new ownership likely to come on board sometime in 2026, that doesn’t leave much time to determine who is paying for what in arena upgrades before lease negotiations reach a critical point.
Now, instead of Jody Allen having a ticking clock over her head, it will be the City of Portland’s turn. If new ownership wishes to do so, they can use the 2030 deadline to negotiate a more favorable deal, leveraging their substantial position. The NBA is once again floating expansion. Whether or not that happens, there are going to be some cities out there who are going to show how much public money they’re willing to pony up to land a team. Instead of a 1:1 match, Portland will now have to compete against whatever Seattle, Las Vegas, or Kansas City are offering.
The fact that other cities would really like a basketball team, and that there are markets that either were not picked for expansion, or left out in the cold again if expansion doesn’t happen, will be sure to be used a leverage by new owners – “Boy, Moda Center could sure be a world class arena if the taxpayers would just pay for 75% of those upgrades, sure would be a shame if no NBA team was around to play in it.”
The wrong ownership group could poison the well for the NBA in Portland and leave a black hole in the city’s heart.
Maybe in the end, it’s a bunch of worry over nothing.
Perhaps Phil Knight has decided he really does want a professional basketball team after all. Possibly, the Bhathal family, which already owns the Thorns and Portland’s upcoming WNBA team, will lead a group to purchase the team. Perhaps it’s kept out of the hands of East Coast venture capitalists with no ties to the area.
Perhaps the right owner strikes a great deal with the City of Portland, and the Rose Quarter finally becomes the booming entertainment and mixed-use area that has existed only in plans and renderings.
With the right ownership group, the Trail Blazers could be the tip of the spear of Portland’s revival. A competitive Blazer team, playing in a renovated arena in the thriving Rose Quarter, would be a symbol that all Portlanders could rally around.
For now, we can only hope that the dream becomes a reality.
Until then, the clock will continue to tick into an uncertain future.
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