Sale To The Dundon Group Appears To Be The Best That Trail Blazers Fans Could Hope To See

With the team’s ownership saga now ending, it’s fair to say that things could have gone far worse for the Portland Trail Blazers and their fans. 

The Trail Blazers are being sold to an ownership group headed by Tom Dundon, the owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Immediately after news of the sale broke, it was announced that the group intends to keep the team in Portland. 

Over the past 7 years, Dundon has turned the Carolina Hurricanes from cellar dwellers into perennial contenders. He’s also not a native of North Carolina. Born on the East Coast but spending most of his adult life in Texas. This is not an Oklahoma City scenario where an ownership group pays lip service to the idea of not moving a team. Dundon doesn’t seem to care about a team’s location, only that it can be turned into a good investment. The Blazers certainly could be that. The purchase price will ultimately be half that of the Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers. It is also twice the price that Nike billionaire Phil Knight also offered to pay for the team a few years ago. That’s an excellent deal for Dundon as well as the philanthropic organizations that will benefit from the sale per Paul Allen’s will, but what makes it great for both Trail Blazers and NBA fans in general? Let’s break it down.

1. The ownership question has been settled much earlier than anticipated. When the Allen estate announced they would be selling the Trail Blazers earlier this year, it was expected that a new owner might not be identified until the new season was already underway. New owners might not be on board until after the 2025-26 season was completed. Instead, the new ownership group now has a jump start on negotiating the team’s arena situation. Whether the new ownership group picks up the existing lease arrangement and seeks to extend it while making upgrades to the Moda Center, or pushes for a new arena entirely remains to be seen. Still, by getting the deal done quickly, both the Allen estate and the Dundon group bought the new owners and the city more time to figure out a long-term arrangement. With the new group reportedly recruiting additional local investors to join the group, the magic 8-ball would say things are trending in a positive direction for the team’s future in Portland. 
2. Dundon is not an absentee owner, but not in a bad way. NBA fans have already seen the downsides of an over-engaged owner when Matt Ishbia bought the Phoenix Suns and promptly wiped out their salary cap flexibility and future draft assets to bring in Kevin Durant and other veterans. That strategy backfired spectacularly, and now the Suns are mired near the bottom of the conference with a heavy tax burden and no way to rebuild easily. With the Hurricanes, Dundon undertook a thorough evaluation of the franchise, made necessary changes, and prudently invested in the on-ice product while trimming non-player personnel, such as broadcasting. If he continues the same trend with the Blazers, Portland fans should expect more of the same – veteran broadcasters being shown the door, being asked to pay more for less in terms of concessions and amenities, but having a smartly built team. 
3. For NBA fans in general, getting the deal done promptly with a commitment to stay in Portland means the last excuses are gone from the league in terms of looking at expansion. Las Vegas and Seattle are the top two markets for expansion and also the top two markets to use for leverage in threatening to move teams. If the Blazers are serious about staying in Portland, then there is nothing left to prevent those two markets from getting expansion teams. Traditionally, expansion teams have to pay a fee to every other team, meaning that the Dundon group may even get a rebate on their investment with the Trail Blazers. With ownership questions now settled for every team and parity across the top of the league, there is no better time for the NBA to seek to expand and lock down two markets that should both be part of the league. 
4. For the front office and coaching staff, their approach to this offseason now appears to be vindicated. They’ve given the new ownership group access to a major foreign market by drafting Hanson Yang, they’ve brought back the team’s all-time greatest player in Damian Lillard, and have built a roster that should be good enough to get the team back to the playoffs, if not this season, then the following one. The team’s next challenge will be to find a way to mitigate general manager Joe Cronin’s most questionable decision – extending Jerami Grant. If the Blazers can do that, Cronin and coach Chauncey Billups may likely secure their roles in Portland even with the ownership change. And if they don’t, they will have set the team up for future success regardless of whether Dundon keeps them in Portland or not.