Tom Dundon denies floating Blazers relocation, says he's working to keep team in Portland
- Dundon denies floating relocation talks with NBA, despite sources claiming he privately floated the idea to league officials and other owners — who told him to shut up and fix Portland.
- Blazers and city have until Dec. 31 to ink a term sheet for a $586M arena remodel, with $365M in state funds on the line; Dundon says the deadline is 'not strict' — because he's got four years of lease left to play chicken.
- Arena is 'bottom measure' per NBA commish Adam Silver, who publicly begs for a deal while reminding everyone he'd 'see it as a failure' if Portland loses the team — which is code for 'we'll block the move anyway.'
- Blazers are suddenly 'committed to a deal' after city administrator flew to Dallas to kiss Dundon's ring; the owner still insists he shouldn't pay a dime toward renovations because taxes, or something.
- League constitution requires formal application, relocation committee, and majority owner vote to move — a high bar, but Dundon's already used Portland as leverage once; no one's suspending disbelief just because he's smiling now.
Brief Summary
Blazers owner Tom Dundon is doing his best impression of a man who never considered skipping town, telling The Athletic he's 'working to keep the team in Portland' and that relocation talks 'are not accurate.' But anonymous sources spill the beans: Dundon has floated the moving van to league officials, who reportedly told him to knock it off and make the Moda Center work. Now he's publicly denying the whole dance while a $586 million renovation deal hangs in the balance with a Dec. 31 deadline that he insists isn't a hard stop — because he's got four more years of lease to drag this out if he wants.
Why This Matters
Portland fans should know this is the oldest hostage negotiation in sports: Dundon's denial is not reassurance; it's theatrics. By floating relocation privately, he's already tested the NBA's willingness to play hardball, and the league's response — 'focus on Portland' — signals they won't let him leave easily. But that doesn't mean he won't squeeze every dollar out of the city, including refusing to contribute to renovations while demanding a first-class arena on the taxpayer's dime.