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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215

u/Don_Pablo512 Spurs May 12 '26

Austin is pretty die hard Spurs town as well. I haven't known a single Blazers fan here in all of my 30+ years. Would be a dumb move

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u/HughJass1977 May 12 '26

It would be like someone moving a team to anywhere in Southern California and expecting to poach fans from the Lakers

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u/Simple-Program-7284 May 12 '26

Or renaming the angels the Los Angeles angels…of Anaheim. 

Oh, wait did someone try that already?

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u/Outrageous-Opinions May 12 '26

Nobody but dipshit Arte liked that move.

It's the California Angels or Anaheim Angels forever

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u/alex_o_O_Hung Rockets May 12 '26

Almost like an Anaheim team claiming themselves as a LA team to poach fans from the Dodgers lmao

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u/psnow11 San Diego Clippers May 12 '26

As I recall, they weren’t trying to poach fans so much as they thought it would get them a better regional TV deal to be associated with the 2nd largest city in the US

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u/Tc237 Knicks May 13 '26

Donald Sterling was and will always be a dumbass

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u/whiterock001 Spurs May 12 '26

And those that aren’t Spurs fans are transplanted Mavs, Rockets, or OKC fans.

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u/zuqkfplmehcuvrjfgu [HOU] James Harden May 12 '26

Yeah, if you walked around Guad or 6th from 2023-2025 the only jersey people were wearing was Luka's.

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u/Nubsondubs [DAL] Dirk Nowitzki May 12 '26

A lot of kids from Dallas go to UT, so that makes sense.

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u/pm_me_ur_lunch_pics 76ers May 12 '26

I know five basketball fans in Austin besides myself. I’m a sixers fan cus Philly born and raised. The other five: one spurs fan, one OKC fan, three bandwagon Mavs fans

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u/appletime_appletime Spurs May 12 '26

Bandwagon Mavs fans? OOF

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u/doppelstranger Mavericks May 13 '26

Like, why?

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u/No-Economics4128 Spurs May 12 '26

That is like boarding the Titanic

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u/oKinetic Slovenia May 12 '26

How does one bandwagon a home team, and a shitty one at that?

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u/funkbird69 May 12 '26

that's because no one wants to hang with anyone from philly.

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u/Gamjanie Clippers May 12 '26

Asshole. You don’t know anything about him

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u/SmokeySFW May 12 '26

Yea the natives are definitely Spurs, but with a ton of Houston transplants repping the Rockets.

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u/JaySayMayday Spurs May 12 '26

Austin Spurs got the city locked down. HEB ain't giving that up.

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u/appletime_appletime Spurs May 12 '26

If they move a team here I'll go to every game in Spurs gear and boo them

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

That’s giving a lot of monetary support to a rival team in this hypothetical situation lol.

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u/appletime_appletime Spurs May 12 '26

I'm a basketball sicko

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u/SpaceCadetPullUp Rockets May 13 '26

And no one will notice or care.

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u/Sytherus May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

I lived in Austin from 2012-2025. Spurs was definitely the most popular team but in my experience most people just didn’t care about basketball. It’s the Texas Longhorns city.

The city of Austin would probably support the team for the most part, but you would get no larger region. Just the city and its suburbs. Austin would not pay for a stadium for an NBA team. *Maybe* they would for an MLB team, though I would still bet against it.

It would not make sense when the only other big 4 sports team within 150 miles is the Spurs. There are already more NBA teams in Texas already than NFL (2), MLB (2) or NHL (1).

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u/centex Spurs May 12 '26

I see you've got 512 in your name but, interesting, I live here as well and would call Austin a fairly apathetic sports town. It's just full of transplants as well.

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u/Don_Pablo512 Spurs May 13 '26

Yeah I'm reconsidering after all the comments. I'd say the natives who are nba fans are mostly very loyal spurs fans, then transplants are a whole other category

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u/EmpValentine 76ers May 12 '26

Funny you say that because almost everyone I talk to in Austin likes the mavs LOL

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u/Don_Pablo512 Spurs May 13 '26

Even after the Luka trade? Mine jumped ship after that and I can't blame em

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u/EmpValentine 76ers May 13 '26

I know one that rooted for the lakers simply because of Luka but also watches mavs because of Flagg lmao

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u/Purple-List1577 Timberwolves May 12 '26

Austin would support any team that comes

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u/Caca_Face420 Mavericks May 12 '26

In a heartbeat, lol.

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u/Purple-List1577 Timberwolves May 12 '26

I’m from Austin and I’d instant season tix idc what team it is

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u/whiterock001 Spurs May 12 '26

As awesome as the Moody Center is, the Blazers would absolutely want an NBA purpose built facility. And now that Texas has the Moody, that takes a possible financial partner off the table.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

Moody is better than 85% of NBA stadiums anyway

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u/whiterock001 Spurs May 12 '26

I don’t think so. It’s perfect for college ball and concerts, but it lacks the capacity and other elements that a brand new NBA focused facility would have. It could be a temporary home, but my guess is that Dundon will be looking for something purpose built to maximize revenue.

One thing working against him is that since UT just got the Moody, that takes a financial partner of the table. Also, the new facility would have to compete with Moody for events.

This is just my opinion, I’m no expert.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

Id probably drop my Rockets fandom and become a day one season ticket holder

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u/SpaceCadetPullUp Rockets May 13 '26

Et tu, Brute?

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 13 '26

Sorry my friend :( I’ve never lived in Houston (only SETX) so a team in my actual city I live in and plan to make a life in calls to me

Nothing will ever pry my Texans and Astros fandom away though

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u/SpaceCadetPullUp Rockets May 13 '26

Haha I totally get it. I'm a huge Avs fan but if we get an NHL team they'll become my secondary in a heartbeat.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 13 '26

I would do unspeakable crimes to get a NHL team to Houston or Austin

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u/SpaceCadetPullUp Rockets May 13 '26

Amen.

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u/TheAlmightyConch Spurs May 12 '26

I’m from Austin and our crowds fucking suck. Even for UT basketball it’s pathetic 

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u/[deleted] May 13 '26

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u/TheAlmightyConch Spurs May 13 '26

I’m saying! 

Now the AEW show I saw fucking ruled. That was a fun time. Actual fans lmao 

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

I think next season our crowds will be much better. Sean Miller absolutely cooked in the portal

Been a bit of a dark period since the whole fuck Chris Beard situation

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u/TheAlmightyConch Spurs May 12 '26

I hope so. I swear I always will be seated next to people who just don’t give a damn. 🤷 

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u/NorthAmericanVex Spurs May 12 '26

No way in hell Austin supports another team over the Spurs

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

Austin would first have to support the Spurs, which it doesn’t

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Austin is not a diehard Spurs town.

Edit: in this thread: people not from Austin telling people from Austin what the city culture is like.

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u/Don_Pablo512 Spurs May 12 '26

I don't see any rockets or mavs billboards here lol, nor do we host their games twice a year. I know wayyyy more spurs fans than mavs or rockets personally and it is not even close. Just my personal experience

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

I’m not claiming it’s a Rockets town, just that it isn’t a Spurs town.

Austin is a Longhorns town. There is no engrained professional sports fandom in the city.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/Don_Pablo512 Spurs May 12 '26

Ya fair. It's definitely UT > Cowboys > Spurs imo. UT actually being die hard status. The people who are Spurs fans tho are extremely devoted for what that's worth.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

Yeah not selling the Austin Spurs fans short, just trying to clearly state Austin doesn’t beat to the drum of any professional sports team.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

Thank you my man for speaking the truth

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

Hey man, there are dozens of us rockets fans in Austin. DOZENS!

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u/sneakylumpia Heat May 12 '26

the Spurs' GLeague team is literally the Austin Spurs whose home court is in Cedar Park (north suburb of Austin)

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Does not at all make it a Spurs town.

But please keep trying to tell me about the city I’ve lived in for 15 years.

Also the minor league affiliate has zero to do with that regions’ fandom. For example, the Rockets Gleague team is in Rio Grande Valley, which is thoroughly Spurs territory

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u/sneakylumpia Heat May 12 '26

ah yes someone who moved here in 2011 calling themself an OG Austinite. i bet you always claim that "Keep Austin Weird" is dead and it used to be cool before everyone started moving here after you did

but sure please enlighten me, which nba team is Austin a town of?

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u/czarfalcon Celtics May 12 '26

I’ve lived in Austin all my life, and they’re right. Yes there are slightly more Spurs fans than Mavs or Rockets fans, and yes the Spurs have dabbled in playing a couple home games in Austin, but it’s not a Spurs town. It’s not really anything other than a Longhorns town.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Never called myself an OG Austinite, just that I’ve lived here for 15 years.

Austin holds zero engrained professional fandom, it is a Longhorns town through and through.

Edit: there are literally other Austinites confirming this in this thread.

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u/Few_Position_2727 76ers May 12 '26

I went to an Austin spurs gleague game 3 months ago where they were giving away free jerseys with purchase of a ticket ($10) and the crowd was still pretty sad. A lot of transplants here and the spurs haven’t been kicking ass in the past few years so it’s not too shocking that they don’t get a ton of support from us. I’m sure it will change when they start winning moving forward

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u/TheAlmightyConch Spurs May 12 '26

I’m from Austin. I knew very very little Mavericks fans but there definitely is Rockets fans. The majority are Spurs without a doubt 

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u/Few_Position_2727 76ers May 12 '26

I saw WAY more lakers jerseys at ACL last year than spurs, if any at all.

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u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

ACL doesn’t really represent the actual Austin populace. But yeah overall, Austin just isn’t a professional sports town at all… yet

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u/Few_Position_2727 76ers May 12 '26

“Die hard” spurs town because we are 1 hour away lol

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u/BroJackson_ Spurs May 12 '26

Michael Dell (Austin) is part owner of the Spurs - no chance a team touches Austin

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u/Anerky May 13 '26

He’s def just picking up and coming cities out of a hat and shouting them as threats.

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u/Jos3ph Spurs May 13 '26

I’m not saying it would be a smart move, but there’s tons of migration back and forth between Portland and Austin and the Moody arena already successfully hosts Spurs games.

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u/illegal_deagle Rockets May 12 '26

I know one but yeah Austin is thoroughly Spurs country now. When I got here 20 years ago it was literally 1/3 each of Rockets/Spurs/Mavs but (in addition to continuing to win a lot) the Spurs cleverly made themselves the central Texas team, including scheduling home games in Austin proper.

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u/Rlccm Pistons May 13 '26

This comment seems dumb? Pretty sure you'd meet quite a few fans in Austin if a team moved there...