Trail Blazers Owner Dundon: Keeping the Team in Portland Is 'the Priority'
Portland is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon. New Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon said in a recent interview with The Athletic that keeping the team in Portland is "the priority" ("We are working to keep the team in Portland. That is the priority."), and denied reports that he had privately discussed relocating the team with league officials.
Dundon led a consortium last August that bought the Trail Blazers from the Paul Allen estate for more than $4.2 billion (the deal awaits NBA approval); he also owns the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. As for reports that he had privately raised relocation with league officials, Dundon denied them as "inaccurate" and emphasized that the lease still has four years to run. The team and the City of Portland are negotiating a Moda Center renovation and lease renewal, targeting an agreement by Dec. 31. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said publicly: "If we can't keep the team in Portland, I would view it as a failure."
The statement reassured Portland fans. Negotiations had been difficult at times, and team president of business operations Dewayne Hankins also reaffirmed the team's commitment to Portland on media day.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：波特兰Moda Center球馆（资料图）。照片：Michael Barera／Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA）。Moda Center in Portland (file photo). Photo: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA).
