Blazers are officially for sale

[Norm2953]

We're all hopeful whoever the new owner is will be a sports enthusiast but $10 Billion for the Lakers is a big
number. Blazers will be lucky to be sold for a third of that

Windhorst said that the entity buying the Lakers is backed by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. NBA is not suppose to allow sovereign wealth funds to buy a controlling interest in a team.

This guy Walter is just a front man for oil money it appears.

I thought foreign entities are entitled to purchase a minority interest in a team, perhaps 20%

I'm wondering if Portland or perhaps an expansion team in Seattle would have a minority Asian investor in the end

[DusterBuster]

Some actual rumors on this front from the latest Simmons podcast with Lowe today....

Zach Lowe asked Simmons if he's heard anything about the Blazer sale as he found it weird chatter around the league has been soooo quiet regarding something that big. He asked Simmons if he had heard anything since he's connected in with the owners more than most media guys, and if he has heard anything, what can he say about it publicly. This is around 1hr:14min mark of the pod.

Simmons said "I heard there's 'a guy' and I heard it's going to go for over 4, those are the only two things I've heard". He went on to say that while the consensus is mid-3 billion, it will likely go higher because of how few teams are for sale. When laying out his example for why it will go higher, he said the only other options outside of Portland is maybe a powerplay for New Orleans, than move that team to Seattle / Vegas or there's just a surprise Bulls sale by the Reinsdorf's, Portland's the only clear option right now that's not a left-field surprise. Also he never mentioned Portland being possible of that Seattle / Vegas move, that only in connection with NO.

Zach followed up trying to pry more info about WHO the buyer might be, he asked "is the guy someone who already knows 'I'm not getting Vegas or Seattle when those things happen, is it someone in that pool potentially". Simmons flatly said "I don't think it is, that isn't the name I heard - that I'm not going to say".

Zach also pushing hard that if any city should lose their team and move to Seattle or Vegas because expansion is off the table now due to James Dolan, it should be the the Pelicans.

They finished up their Blazer talk on the pod with Simmons saying "conspiracy Bill was activated" around the Blazers summer moves of Yang and Dame. He didn't say he didn't like the Dame move, but found it all very convenient timing with this and all the Chinese money from that market and why the Blazers were so motivated to get him.

[Walton1one]

Matches some of the chatter coming from John Hollinger. So, a front office making moves not for the betterment of the team but to increase value for a sale or entice a certain type of owner.

[PDXKnight]

Some actual rumors on this front from the latest Simmons podcast with Lowe today....

Zach Lowe asked Simmons if he's heard anything about the Blazer sale as he found it weird chatter around the league has been soooo quiet regarding something that big. He asked Simmons if he had heard anything since he's connected in with the owners more than most media guys, and if he has heard anything, what can he say about it publicly. This is around 1hr:14min mark of the pod.

Simmons said "I heard there's 'a guy' and I heard it's going to go for over 4, those are the only two things I've heard". He went on to say that while the consensus is mid-3 billion, it will likely go higher because of how few teams are for sale. When laying out his example for why it will go higher, he said the only other options outside of Portland is maybe a powerplay for New Orleans, than move that team to Seattle / Vegas or there's just a surprise Bulls sale by the Reinsdorf's, Portland's the only clear option right now that's not a left-field surprise. Also he never mentioned Portland being possible of that Seattle / Vegas move, that only in connection with NO.

Zach followed up trying to pry more info about WHO the buyer might be, he asked "is the guy someone who already knows 'I'm not getting Vegas or Seattle when those things happen, is it someone in that pool potentially". Simmons flatly said "I don't think it is, that isn't the name I heard - that I'm not going to say".

Zach also pushing hard that if any city should lose their team and move to Seattle or Vegas because expansion is off the table now due to James Dolan, it should be the the Pelicans.

They finished up their Blazer talk on the pod with Simmons saying "conspiracy Bill was activated" around the Blazers summer moves of Yang and Dame. He didn't say he didn't like the Dame move, but found it all very convenient timing with this and all the Chinese money from that market and why the Blazers were so motivated to get him.

Not exactly a ray of optimism on team staying in pdx. Im sure NBA is salivating over Vegas regardless of who gets burned.

[DusterBuster]

Not exactly a ray of optimism on team staying in pdx. Im sure NBA is salivating over Vegas regardless of who gets burned

If you listen to the pod, you won’t come away with that opinion.

The sense I got from Simmons while trying to read between the leaves the Portland sale is to keep the team here. If Seattle or Vegas get a team without expansion, it’ll probably be from a market that isn’t historically supportive of their franchise like the Pelicans.

[PDXKnight]

Not exactly a ray of optimism on team staying in pdx. Im sure NBA is salivating over Vegas regardless of who gets burned

If you listen to the pod, you won’t come away with that opinion.

Are you volunteering to babysit my wiley toddlers while I listen?

[DusterBuster]

Not exactly a ray of optimism on team staying in pdx. Im sure NBA is salivating over Vegas regardless of who gets burned

If you listen to the pod, you won’t come away with that opinion.

Are you volunteering to babysit my wiley toddlers while I listen?

As someone only a could years out from the toggles years, single Bluetooth earbuds are the way to go.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/dundon-portland-trail-blazers-sale-paul-allen-1234866910/

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has reached a tentative agreement to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen’s estate, according to people familiar with the details.

Others in the group include Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and Portland-based Sheel Tyle, co-CEO of Collective Global, according to the people, who were granted anonymity because the details were private. The new group intends to keep the team in Portland, the people said.

It’s unclear how the team is being valued in the transaction or when it may close. “We are excited,” Dundon said in an email

[oldfishermen]

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/dundon-portland-trail-blazers-sale-paul-allen-1234866910/

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has reached a tentative agreement to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen’s estate, according to people familiar with the details.

Others in the group include Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and Portland-based Sheel Tyle, co-CEO of Collective Global, according to the people, who were granted anonymity because the details were private. The new group intends to keep the team in Portland, the people said.

It’s unclear how the team is being valued in the transaction or when it may close. “We are excited,” Dundon said in an email

https://www.reddit.com/r/canes/comments/1iyvsdd/nhl_agent_poll_tom_dundon_the_worst_owner_in_nhl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Hmmm, not a good start on my first search of Dundon. He was voted worst owner in NHL.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/dundon-portland-trail-blazers-sale-paul-allen-1234866910/

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has reached a tentative agreement to buy the Portland Trail Blazers from Paul Allen’s estate, according to people familiar with the details.

Others in the group include Blue Owl Capital co-president Marc Zahr and Portland-based Sheel Tyle, co-CEO of Collective Global, according to the people, who were granted anonymity because the details were private. The new group intends to keep the team in Portland, the people said.

It’s unclear how the team is being valued in the transaction or when it may close. “We are excited,” Dundon said in an email

https://www.reddit.com/r/canes/comments/1iyvsdd/nhl_agent_poll_tom_dundon_the_worst_owner_in_nhl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Hmmm, not a good start on my first search of Dundon. He was voted worst owner in NHL.

Apparently that was from player agents, who say he is too hands on.

Which they have a very specific perspective, I'm sure they would prefer a lazy owner with open checkbook instead of someone who fights to sign players to good deals. So I wouldn't necessarily accept that poll as reflecting a fans perspective.

Too hands on can be good or bad. It's good to have an owner very invested in the success of the team and with a competitive steak. It's bad if they are incompetent and make bad decisions and everyone has to live with it cuz they are the owner.

From outside perspective his hockey team seems to be competitive but I know nothing about the inner workings of hockey.

"A lot of people in our business hate it that Tom is so f---ing involved, and he is basically the manager and he has a lot of strong opinions, too, and he's not afraid to tell all of us privately those opinions."
...
One agent joked: “The worst part of Dundon lapping the competition here is he’s probably proud of it.”

[Wizenheimer]

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/dundon-portland-trail-blazers-sale-paul-allen-1234866910/

https://www.reddit.com/r/canes/comments/1iyvsdd/nhl_agent_poll_tom_dundon_the_worst_owner_in_nhl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Hmmm, not a good start on my first search of Dundon. He was voted worst owner in NHL.

Apparently that was from player agents, who say he is too hands on.

Which they have a very specific perspective, I'm sure they would prefer a lazy owner with open checkbook instead of someone who fights to sign players to good deals. So I wouldn't necessarily accept that poll as reflecting a fans perspective.

Too hands on can be good or bad. It's good to have an owner very invested in the success of the team and with a competitive steak. It's bad if they are incompetent and make bad decisions and everyone has to live with it cuz they are the owner.

From outside perspective his hockey team seems to be competitive but I know nothing about the inner workings of hockey.

"A lot of people in our business hate it that Tom is so f---ing involved, and he is basically the manager and he has a lot of strong opinions, too, and he's not afraid to tell all of us privately those opinions."
...
One agent joked: “The worst part of Dundon lapping the competition here is he’s probably proud of it.”

if he's getting bad reviews from player agents it's likely because he's not a pushover when it comes to new contracts for players. That could be a good thing

I wonder what this means for any extensions of Camara and Sharpe this summer

[BlazersBroncos]

Dundon doesnt have much out there - but it seems he is a legit sports fan and initial reports are he isnt interested in moving the team. Also like that he is on the younger side - being a actual sports fan, being young and not being interested in moving the team can imply some nice long term ownership stability.

But all the above is based on like 3 sentences of reporting.

The last 5 teams sold for the below -

1. LAL (10B) 2025
2. BOS (6.1B) 2025
3. PHX (4B) 2023
4. DAL (3.8B) 2023
5. MIL (3.5B) 2023

PDX selling for a reported 4B is interesting. Considering the market size its a generous amount IMO. I would think the BOS franchise is at least worth double PDX. This is a nice signal showing that at least the bean counters see a market and at least on some level a team that is profitable.

[Wizenheimer]

Dundon doesnt have much out there - but it seems he is a legit sports fan and initial reports are he isnt interested in moving the team. Also like that he is on the younger side - being a actual sports fan, being young and not being interested in moving the team can imply some nice long term ownership stability.

But all the above is based on like 3 sentences of reporting.

The last 5 teams sold for the below -

1. LAL (10B) 2025
2. BOS (6.1B) 2025
3. PHX (4B) 2023
4. DAL (3.8B) 2023
5. MIL (3.5B) 2023

PDX selling for a reported 4B is interesting. Considering the market size its a generous amount IMO. I would think the BOS franchise is at least worth double PDX. This is a nice signal showing that at least the bean counters see a market and at least on some level a team that is profitable.

NBA team valuations skyrocketed in 2023. In 2022 the Blazers were valued at 2.1B. After that, the news started emerging about the new media deal. A year later, the Blazers were valued at 3.1B. After the new media deal was baked into valuations the annual increase slowed a little

[Village Idiot]

Nice to get this resolved. Based on the limited information we have and his track record we have from owning the Hurricanes, I am cautiously optimistic

[oldfishermen]

Having mixed thoughts on Dundon. His backgound has a sucessful vibe to it. All of the negative reports center around him being a very, very tough negotiator. Not just from agents, but opinions from Hurricane fans on team forums.

Sounds like Dundon could give Rich Paul grey hair.

[PDXKnight]

Does dundon have the net worth to make us a winner?

I do appreciate right out the gate he said he wants to keep team in pdx "where they belong". Very strong support for pdx out the gate. Perhaps jody did us one favor selling to someone opposed to moving team?

[Case2012]

THIS SUMMER KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

Bye Jody!!! Bye Joe!!!!!! Bye Bert!!!!!!

There's no way a guy with his reputation is gonna come in and see how this team has been ran and keeps this FO intact. Joe and CB got their golden parachutes last year, so good for them. But Joe is done in the league and that's cause enough to celebrate. No more 2 timeline BS, we've got an aggressive owner that wants to win and we have the youth and picks to make a big deal. I wonder how long it's going to take until he fires these clowns.

[BlazersBroncos]

THIS SUMMER KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

Bye Jody!!! Bye Joe!!!!!! Bye Bert!!!!!!

There's no way a guy with his reputation is gonna come in and see how this team has been ran and keeps this FO intact. Joe and CB got their golden parachutes last year, so good for them. But Joe is done in the league and that's cause enough to celebrate. No more 2 timeline BS, we've got an aggressive owner that wants to win and we have the youth and picks to make a big deal. I wonder how long it's going to take until he fires these clowns.

Joe and CB are newly extended. They wont be going anywhere. Joe signed an extension 4/7/2025 and CB signed one 4/13/2025.

I would also bet Joe sticks around longer than CB. He is nowhere near as bad as some of the malcontents here believe. CB on the other hand isnt a NBA coach.

Also, FWIW, the Hurricanes are a team that is analytics based, cut bait on older guys a year early rather than a year late, develop internally and have not made many flashy splash moves - all while remaining a NHL contender. The idea that Dundon is going to come in an make short sighted, win-now Ishiba caliber moves is not at all supported by his ownership, and involved ownership at that, of his NHL team.

If anything the way the Hurricanes are ran is a sign that we are MORE likely to keep the kids around and invest in their development rather than mortgage them for a old, win-now vet.

[Walton1one]

Neither one of them are being paid a ton, so both could and should be easily removed. Doubt anything happens this year though...

[Case2012]

THIS SUMMER KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

Bye Jody!!! Bye Joe!!!!!! Bye Bert!!!!!!

There's no way a guy with his reputation is gonna come in and see how this team has been ran and keeps this FO intact. Joe and CB got their golden parachutes last year, so good for them. But Joe is done in the league and that's cause enough to celebrate. No more 2 timeline BS, we've got an aggressive owner that wants to win and we have the youth and picks to make a big deal. I wonder how long it's going to take until he fires these clowns.

Joe and CB are newly extended. They wont be going anywhere. Joe signed an extension 4/7/2025 and CB signed one 4/13/2025.

I would also bet Joe sticks around longer than CB. He is nowhere near as bad as some of the malcontents here believe. CB on the other hand isnt a NBA coach.

Also, FWIW, the Hurricanes are a team that is analytics based, cut bait on older guys a year early rather than a year late, develop internally and have not made many flashy splash moves - all while remaining a NHL contender. The idea that Dundon is going to come in an make short sighted, win-now Ishiba caliber moves is not at all supported by his ownership, and involved ownership at that, of his NHL team.

If anything the way the Hurricanes are ran is a sign that we are MORE likely to keep the kids around and invest in their development rather than mortgage them for a old, win-now vet.

Malcontents? Joe is objectively trash and he knows it, that's why he gave himself that contract extension. He's gone by next summer, slide in my DM if you want to place money on it.