The Portland arena negotiations have been testy.
National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver has to deal with issues that need immediate attention. There is the matter of should we or shouldn’t we expand and put teams in the Las Vegas and in the Seattle markets. There is the matter of finding a new Women’s National Basketball Association commissioner. There is the matter of establishing a foothold in Europe and forming a National Basketball Association sponsored European league. Then there is the matter of settling an arena issue in Portland. In March, Tom Dundon officially purchased the controlling interest in the Portland Trail Blazers franchise from the estate of Paul Allen for about $4.25 billion. Dundon immediately fired employees and started negotiations with Portland and Oregon lawmakers about renovating the franchise’s home arena. Dundon’s arena lease ends after the 2030 season. In June, Dundon told more than 700 people at a Portland Metro Chamber meeting that the Portland City Council should spend to renovate the arena because he’s already made his investment by purchasing the team. There has been some acrimony in the lease negotiations and Dundon doesn’t seem to want to help finance arena renovations. The public cost of the arena upgrades is around $575 million.
Dundon claims to be committed to Portland and the team president reiterated that sentiment recently. “We’re committed to a deal that works for our ownership,” Dewayne Hankins said. “We’re committed to a deal that works for our public partners. We’re doing everything we can to ensure that the Trail Blazers stay right here. We’ve secured that landmark commitment at the state level. We’re working hard to get the city and the county deal done as well. And these conversations continue to happen behind closed doors, and it’s most productive for us when they stay that way.” The Portland arena game continues,
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