Tom Dundon Says He Wants to Keep the Blazers in Portland

The Portland Trail Blazers and city officials are trying to reach a deal to fix up the Moda Center, the team's arena. Owner Tom Dundon says his goal is to keep the team in Portland, where it has played for 56 years. Both sides have a deadline of December 31 to agree on a plan. If they can't make a deal, some people worry the team could move to another city.

Dundon sent a text message to The Athletic saying, 'We are working to keep the team in Portland. That is the priority.' He also said that the end of the year is not a hard deadline for him. He said it 'would be great to be done by then,' but that both sides would keep trying to reach a deal even after January 1.

Sources told The Athletic that Dundon had privately talked to NBA officials and other team owners about the idea of moving the Blazers. Those sources asked not to be named because they were not allowed to discuss those conversations. According to the sources, the NBA pushed back and told Dundon to focus on making things work in Portland. Dundon denied those talks ever happened, saying, 'That is not accurate.'

The Blazers still have four years left on their current lease at the Moda Center. Because of this, Dundon said moving the team is 'not a conversation' right now. 'We have four years to figure it out,' he said. 'So hopefully we never are in that position.'

State, county, and city leaders have already approved $586 million to help pay for upgrades to the arena. The Blazers and the city need to agree on a plan by December 31 to access $365 million of that money, which was set aside by the state legislature. The Moda Center has been the Blazers' home since 1995 and is also home to the Portland Fire, a new WNBA team.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been clear about what he wants to happen. He said the league needs 'a state-of-the-art arena' in Portland because the current building is among the worst in the league. Silver also said, 'I would see it as a failure if we did not keep the team in Portland.' He called Portland fans some of the best in the NBA.

If Dundon ever wanted to officially move the team, the NBA's rules make it a long process. He would have to file a formal request with the league. A group of at least five team owners would then study the request for up to 120 days before all NBA owners voted on whether to allow the move. A majority of owners would have to agree.

The relationship between the Blazers and Portland grew tense over the summer. Talks about the arena deal slowed after Silver visited Portland and gave the Blazers a new proposal. That proposal included rules about using union workers and a property tax adjustment, which Dundon disagreed with. He has said the team should not have to pay for the arena renovations itself.

More recently, the mood between the two sides has improved. Team president Dewayne Hankins said, 'We are doing everything we can to ensure the Trail Blazers are staying right here.' Dundon also met with Portland city officials at a Blazers preseason game this week, which is a sign that talks are continuing. The Blazers have been part of Portland since 1970 and were the only pro sports team in the city until 2009.