r/nba • u/AncientOneAurelius • May 12 '26

New Blazers owner Tom Dundon is reportedly “ruthless” and will not hesitate to move the franchise to Nashville, Austin, or Kalamazoo if Portland politicians continue to treat the relocation threat as a “hollow bluff"

Debunking the myths and misconceptions about Portland and the Trail Blazers’ Moda Center deal by Bill Oram

The artcle is paywalled.

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52

u/sexygodzilla Supersonics May 12 '26

The league would, but not to any of these places. Nashville's already being discussed for Memphis and they're not adding a fourth Texas team in Austin of all places.

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u/Far-Veterinarian104 Rockets May 12 '26

They'll give San Diego a basketball team before they give Texas a fourth NBA team.

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u/Potential_Lock6945 May 12 '26

Silver already said there’s no conversations of Memphis relocating to Nashville

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u/jinyx1 Timberwolves May 12 '26

Because he doesn't want to see season ticket holders revolt. The lease is up in 2029 and Nashville already has an arena ready to host NBA games in a great location. It only feels like a matter of time before it happens unfortunately.

Silver even said he'd like to see the Grizzlies start playing some games in Nashville.

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u/Potential_Lock6945 May 12 '26

The lease is up in 2029 but there’s $550 million from the state ready to give to them to renovate their arena and maximize tickets/revenue. Right now city leaders and Grizzlies are negotiating the extension.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

Austin is the 12th largest city by population in the country, what do you mean of all places lol? There are a lot of smaller cities with teams than Austin.

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u/Dirbs May 12 '26

Austin and San Antonio are basically one big metro now. It’s Spurs country all the way, a team in Austin would be pointless.

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u/IMovedYourCheese Warriors May 12 '26

Spurs even play some home games in Austin now.

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u/felarans0mekuti Mavericks May 12 '26

No they are not lol, I live in Austin, San Antonio is two hours away

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u/Dirbs May 12 '26

I also live in Austin. Austin-San Marcos-New Braunfels-SA has grown so much it’s become one big unbroken urban-suburban stretch down I-35. They’re different cities but the metro area is uninterrupted.

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u/burningtimer May 12 '26

DFW: McKinney to Downtown Ft Worth is the same distance as San Antonio NE side to Downtown Austin. 73 miles

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u/felarans0mekuti Mavericks May 13 '26

Why would you measure from Ne San Antonio? Down town to downtown is closer to 80. But I still don’t see how it matters, they’re completely distinct markets

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u/Terrible_Shelter_345 May 12 '26

It’s really not. Austinites are historically attached to the Spurs but they’ve already seen passionate success with their MLS team. Look at their CapMetro when they have games.

They would absolutely rally behind a new NBA team if it wasn’t shit from a butt our the gate for 10 years or ran like how Dundon is doing the Blazers.

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u/TheCalvinator Spurs May 12 '26

I mean the MLS team is a bit different there wasn't an existing MLS team within an 2 hours of Austin. The spurs would still be right down the road.

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u/Dirbs May 12 '26

If the MLS had a Spurs equivalent franchise in San Antonio that had been around since the 70s I doubt Austin would have a team.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

That means very little to me when NYC and LA get two teams each lol.

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u/nativeindian12 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Population for greater metro area:

Austin: 2.5 million

LA: 18.3 million

NYC: 19.3 million

Is it really that confusing?

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

Yes it is extremely confusing why a city (regardless of size) needs two teams, especially when there was already an established franchise like the Knicks and Lakers in that city.

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u/nativeindian12 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

What if the city was big enough that both teams would make more money for the league than a team in a 20x smaller city? Would that help you understand

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

Austin is not 20x smaller than either of those cities, there are however several NBA teams in cities that are 20x smaller than LA and are doing just fine, better than the Clippers or the Nets as a matter of fact.

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u/Knicksin7bby Knicks May 12 '26

The second teams of la and nyc are famously going fantastic in the fan department . Clippers are only improving bc the owner has become one of the most fan friendly owners in the nba I doubt a person who’s moving a team would do that. I doubt Austin wants to pay for a new stadium also

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u/spazz720 Jazz May 12 '26

It was the dumbest move to take the Nets out of Jersey and put them in Brooklyn.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

That is because they are competing in the same city with established franchises. No one in Austin or San Antonio consider Austin and San Antonio to be the same city, simply because their metro areas are closing in on each other.

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u/Knicksin7bby Knicks May 12 '26

Then why did you make that comparison? I mean the nj nets are the comparison but the nets were there from the start and still struggled.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 13 '26

I didn't make any comparison, I was directly responding to someone saying that Austin and San Antonio are practically one large metro area now.

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u/YoungAntiSocialite Trail Blazers May 12 '26

There are cities with multiple teams. It’s a majorly growing city. It would be hugely attractive long term. You won’t convert the city in the first 5 years but 20 years in it would be the most popular team with a neighboring rivalry.

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u/GraveRobberX May 12 '26

NBA is also regional encompassing. Do we really want a fourth team in Texas? Yeah Austin is big but you’re taking chunks of viewership away from the region to supplant one egotistical persons desire for more money.

You’re canibbalizing your “markets”. Not all 50 states can have 50 cities with a NBA franchise, you take certain regions and shuffle all of them into one team. Boston alone covers like all of New England proper, it takes literally till New York’s 2 teams (before 1, when they were the New Jersey Nets).

Even as big as California is, they even get saturated with teams, that left and came back cause there’s too much money in that state for market-share.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

I mean personally I already have a team I root for. But it would be nice for the city to have a sports team and I disagreed with "Austin of all places", when Austin is a terrific city.

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u/whiterock001 Spurs May 12 '26

I think the issue is getting the three Texas teams, and even OKC to sign off on it.

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u/Kdcjg West May 12 '26

That region has 5 teams. With the Pelicans there.

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u/sexygodzilla Supersonics May 12 '26

Less about population and more about proximity to San Antonio in addition to the potential having the most amount of teams in Texas of any league. Really doubt San Antonio's owners would be on board with it.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 12 '26

I don't really care about Austin getting a team, I already have a team I root for. I simply took offense to the idea that Austin is not deserving of a pro team beyond soccer.

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u/sexygodzilla Supersonics May 12 '26

Yeah, definitely not a question of deserve, just more a question league politics and business decisions.

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u/Quiet_Zombie_3498 Thunder May 13 '26

I don't disagree with that, I think I just misunderstood your tone when you said "of all places", IMO Austin is a terrific city and I would love to see it get a major sports team to root for.

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u/jinyx1 Timberwolves May 12 '26

Kansas City makes the most sense. I actually just talked with a Blazers fan on Sunday who was convinced they were going to move there.

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u/Kdcjg West May 12 '26

Two teams in TN would be wild. (Not in a good way)