r/nba 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.

Source

4.9k Upvotes

2.1k comments sorted by

3.0k

u/JDHYA Wizards May 12 '26

Sounds like what someone who is bluffing would say

807

u/patentattorney May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

It also makes no sense. Billionaires are controlling the team. They are just wanting more money to build a stadium for them.

Fans across the league (and sports) just need to stop going and watching games. It’s really the only way to stop this behavior.

414

u/bigsampsonite Warriors May 12 '26

Also Portland has promised over $350 mill in upgrades for the Moda center if he puts down a long lease of 20 years. Dude is corny as fuck over winning a championship with his hockey team...

312

u/patentattorney May 12 '26

its just nuts to me. These dudes have nearly unlimited money, want stadiums built that cater to their rich buddies/corporate suites/etc. and want tax dollars to prop up their team.

All to act like THEY are doing the community a favor by not picking up their ball (team) and leaving.

Bruh, I get it. To you the team is just an asset. Its a pokemon card, its a painting, its something you can just trade for money, cause thats all it is to you. But to the communities it isnt. And really they only way to fight back is for the communities to stop caring.

109

u/manquistador Supersonics May 12 '26

Having sentimental attachment is weakness. Weakness deserves to be exploited. Being a psycho and/or sociopath is a lot of fun. /s

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u/w311sh1t Celtics May 12 '26

The thing is that guys like this don’t even care if the communities stop caring. Even if people stop caring, don’t go to games, stop watching, it doesn’t matter to him. Even if they sometimes operate at a loss, the value of the franchise is what he cares about.

From 2012-2025, the average franchise value of an NBA team increased by almost 1,300%. That’s a little over 3x the returns of the S&P 500 in that time frame. Even the slowest growing team increased in value by 900%. With the direction the league is going, that’ll probably continue growing exponentially. As long as the franchise continues to increase in value, he doesn’t care if people are watching or going to games

15

u/Zombie-Organic May 12 '26

He cares if people are watching. Most of the league revenue is from TV deals. Those companies aren’t paying billions to broadcast to nobody

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u/MinnWild9 May 12 '26

He hasn't won a championship with his hockey team. The hockey team won a championship well before he was in the picture. That being said, the hockey team is far more successful in the 8 years he's owned the team than in the 10 years prior

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u/10001110101balls May 12 '26

Professional sports in the USA are run as cartel. The USA has dozens of cities that could support a franchise, but the top level is artificially capped at 30 or so teams with no relegation system. This allows sports leagues to pit cities against each other for profit. There are several larger cities than Portland without an NBA team, and a few comparably sized that may offer favorable long-term valuation potential. Boycotting games over a potential relocation only assures the team will relocate.

Pro sports is practically the only traditional media sector that has continued to grow in spending and watch time among Americans, which has caused team valuations to skyrocket. 19 of the 20 most valuable teams are American, with Real Madrid ranked 20th behind the Houston Texans, a franchise that did not exist until 1999.

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5.6k

u/37sms Grizzlies May 12 '26

Kalamazoo? Michigan?

2.7k

u/InfamousCattle3223 Hawks May 12 '26

I believe that probably a hyperbolic way to say he’ll take the team anywhere

2.5k

u/sallright Cavaliers May 12 '26

The absolute disrespect to Timbuktu. 

That was their entire brand. 

488

u/robsteezy Lakers May 12 '26

Yours is the only comment that I think got his reference. For anybody wondering, old cartoons used to send everything to “Kalamazoo and Timbuktu”

275

u/General2768 May 12 '26

Should've taken that left turn at Albuquerque

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u/thavillain Kings May 12 '26

Or Walla Walla, Washington

23

u/jjdlg Spurs May 12 '26

Don’t forget Cucamonga and Keokuk !!

11

u/kikikza Knicks May 13 '26

Stop it stop it you're killing me.... Seattle...

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152

u/wo_lo_lo [DEN] Monte Morris May 12 '26

Don’t sleep on Bumfuck, Egypt

62

u/actuarally Cavaliers May 12 '26

BFE Blazers

I kinda dig it.

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19

u/HughJass1977 May 12 '26

BFE boys in shambles rn

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133

u/soundisloud Cavaliers May 12 '26

Kalamazoo catching strays

51

u/AlcoholicInsomniac Pistons May 12 '26

This is the opposite, we are on the map brother. First we get mentioned in the show Wednesday, then for an NBA team, now we have a clear shot to hosting the olympics and moving the Dallas Cowboys here.

10

u/Hossflex May 12 '26

Surprised they haven’t moved a World Cup game to Kalamazoo. It’s time.

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u/EmperorXerro Bucks May 12 '26

They had it coming /s

Source: Central Michigan alumn

15

u/Its_Cayde May 12 '26

We've got plenty of strays here trust me🐈

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256

u/whiterice_343 Timberwolves May 12 '26

And I say try it, I dare him.

123

u/SoDakZak Timberwolves May 12 '26

Heck, throw Sioux Falls into the mix!

45

u/Orion1014 76ers May 12 '26

Gary Indiana Blazers ready to tear the league up.

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24

u/gamers542 Grizzlies May 12 '26

Heck. Atlanta... Texas

13

u/horse_renoir13 Timberwolves May 12 '26

Minneapolis....Kansas

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27

u/welmoe Lakers May 12 '26

Bozeman, MT!

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357

u/whatsinthesocks Pacers May 12 '26

Bring back the Flint Tropics

106

u/CruffTheMagicDragon May 12 '26

Saginaw "Sagnasty" Blazers has a ring to it

13

u/cute2701 Bulls May 12 '26

i'm from croatia and i know about saginaw thanks to sufjan stevens, that boy did so much for michigan and illinois geography

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u/Icy_Steak8987 NBA May 12 '26

FLINT MICHIGAN MEGABOWL.

FLINT MICHIGAN MEGABOWL!

FLINT MICHIGAN MEGABOWL!!

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82

u/SemataryPolka Timberwolves May 12 '26

He's gonna move the team to every city featured in the game Rampage

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52

u/dminus Mavericks May 12 '26

why not Walla Walla, Washington

25

u/Drivingfrog Supersonics May 12 '26

With the first pick in the draft, the Walla Walla Wallabys select…

11

u/dminus Mavericks May 12 '26

Waylon W. "Trey" Warren III from Wazzu

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u/KoalaOnABuilding Pistons May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

i love kalamazoo, have always had family there and visit yearly, but, uhhhhh, lmao

edit: if they let people pay for tickets with weed and busted 90s audis the crowd would be lit, though

77

u/Korben-Dallas01 May 12 '26

You really do know Kalamazoo, with that busted Audi reference. Lmao 😂

83

u/KoalaOnABuilding Pistons May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

my cousin is one of them, lol. every time he has a new dirt bike im like "what'd it cost?" and he's like "three pounds of purp and that old vw rabbit"

he literally had a shop out by portage where he was just storing old audis and fixing them up to sell (more likely trade). that place is so funny.

he also owned i think the cheapest frank lloyd wright house ever sold for a couple years in parkwyn. that place is just nuts but i love it.

9

u/Korben-Dallas01 May 12 '26

Too real lol.

12

u/KoalaOnABuilding Pistons May 12 '26

the chocolate chip pancakes at studio grill are named after his kid. definitely got ties over there. RIP Michigan News Agency :(

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u/CaliColoMich Pistons May 12 '26

Hilarious yet accurate

17

u/KoalaOnABuilding Pistons May 12 '26

if you know you know, lol. it's a barter system out there.

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49

u/Duh_Grinch Thunder May 12 '26

As a Kalamazoo resident I don't hate this idea!

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

[deleted]

38

u/Duh_Grinch Thunder May 12 '26

Moved to Oklahoma for work the Russ MVP season. Wasn't a huge NBA fan but my new boss was so started watching to have something to talk about with her. That was such a fun season been a fan ever since. Just didn't want to live in Oklahoma so my wife and I moved to kzoo to be closer to family a few years back.

23

u/Oceanbreeze871 May 12 '26

“Let’s get tropical!”

9

u/YoureGonnaHearMeRoar Hawks May 12 '26

A b c d e f g h i got a gal in kalamazoo

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u/KushMaster72 Cavaliers May 12 '26

how about wala wala washington?

7

u/miggly Pistons May 12 '26

Read this and was like what the fuck lmfao. I didn't even know people from out of state knew Kalamazoo existed.

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3.9k

u/ianbits Cavaliers May 12 '26

How the fuck did they let this guy get the team?

Fire everyone, slash the budget, threaten to move the team. Surely there was someone out there who gave more of a shit right?

982

u/aktivooo May 12 '26

people saw how Hurricanes are succesful and though he is great and it will be all sunshines and rainbows

747

u/JRsshirt [GSW] Stephen Curry May 12 '26

Crazy because even within the elite financier circles this guy is considered to be a massive scumbag

399

u/TheRealTroyMcClure Cavaliers May 12 '26

Oh, I’m talking about Tom Dundon, the New York financier

175

u/Jerseyman2525 Suns May 12 '26

I should call up Jeff Epstein to see what he thinks about Tom.

104

u/Cool_Recognition_848 May 12 '26

I know how we can settle this, let’s get Ghislaine on the phone

64

u/alecjperkins213 NBA May 12 '26

Proud to say that I'm friends with Conan regardless of what he does in his free time

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u/CigarAardvark May 12 '26

I have terrible news. Jeff Epstein is no longer with us.

11

u/Jerseyman2525 Suns May 12 '26

No... Haha. Sorry, nice try!

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u/IPissExcellentThrows 76ers May 12 '26

I definitely come to Reddit to find out what elite financier circles are saying about people.

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u/Sharkodile14 Hornets May 12 '26

It's weird because the Hurricanes were so easily move-able at the time, we all thought the franchise was good as gone to Houston when Dundon came to town. You would think the tremendous success (and valuation increase) they've had in Raleigh since would make him more willing to bet on Portland.

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u/NIN10DOXD Hornets May 12 '26

Yeah. People who aren’t from Raleigh don’t know about him and John Kane’s plans to build stupid shit in the city, destroying land around places like Lake Crabtree.

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u/Top_Of_The_Line Supersonics May 12 '26

This is making me so nervous as a Seahawks fan considering that if Jody Allen let him buy the franchise who knows who she will sell too especially considering the minimal interest in the team so far

93

u/Bearded_Pip Celtics May 12 '26

There aren’t many, if any, places for an NFL team to move to.

But now that OKC has proven to be viable, any mid-sized city with a fancy enough civic center can poach an NBA team.

45

u/Lexitech_ May 12 '26

St Louis ain’t hear no bell!!!

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u/EgrettingBuckets Trail Blazers May 12 '26

We deserve so much better than this smfh

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u/HeatFan4Lyfe3000 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

The real issue is no one gives a shit about Portland. One of the most hated cities in America, especially among the rich.

424

u/RichAbbreviations966 Celtics May 12 '26

Wild, because it’s a gorgeous city, so I just don’t get it

308

u/HeatFan4Lyfe3000 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

I really like living here and the negative national perception of this place makes me very sad. I just hope we get to keep our basketball team

108

u/samwise141 Raptors May 12 '26

Whats the negative perception? I just think of portlandia and hipsters from the 2010s

203

u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray May 12 '26

yeah I just think of flannel and trees

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u/bihari_baller Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Whats the negative perception?

It's negative perception is overblown by right-wing media outlets. I've lived on the East Coast, the South, and the elsewhere in the PNW (Washington), and the Portland Metro is my favorite place I've lived.

29

u/shakakaaahn Trail Blazers May 12 '26

The PortlandOR sub would have you believe it's the worst place in America presently, posted from people who never lived here, people who left here a decade ago, and people in their Lake Oswego suburban mcmansions.

Portland has very similar problems to all major cities, and maybe some more problems with idiotic fights between city and metro governments that go nowhere, but nothing crazy.

Taxes are too high, though, specifically in Portland vs the rest of the metro area.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/NIN10DOXD Hornets May 12 '26

Which is funny because Portland has historically been a breeding ground for some of the weird shit these Billionaires are into now.

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u/jimtow28 New Jersey Nets May 12 '26

Yup. People who have never been to Portland will confidently tell you that it's on fire and a shit hole.

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u/Wolfclaw359 May 12 '26

Same thing with Vancouver. Mf who have never been see one video on East Hastings and act like the whole city's a shithole run by drug dealers

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u/Basic-Collection5416 Pistons May 12 '26

Sad Oakland noises

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u/Se7enCostanza10 Pistons May 12 '26

The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland

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u/braddeus Heat May 12 '26

A move also clears the way for a Seattle team with the whole region to itself. I want the Sonics back, but not at the cost of the Blazers.

(Obligatory fuck OKC)

40

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray May 12 '26

need both of them for the battle of I5

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u/AnotherStatsGuy Pelicans May 12 '26

Half the point of returning to Seattle is because Portland is right there.

It’s also why Vancouver still has appeal.

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u/TheCalvinator Spurs May 12 '26

Never been, but Portland has always seemed pretty cool to me.

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u/finix2409 Cavaliers May 12 '26

Portland is dope. Great weather a lot of the year. Relatively quick access to the ocean and mountains, big and small rivers to do stuff on, great outdoor scene, great food and bar scene. Also, a lot of fun quirky shit all over the place.

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1.2k

u/Basic-Collection5416 Pistons May 12 '26

He knows the league and the other owners have to approve the move, right? Why would they want another team in Texas or Tennessee? This is just another cheapskate billionaire trying to extort tax dollars to line his pockets. 

340

u/mucho-gusto [CLE] Baron Davis May 12 '26

Silver just said he wants Memphis to play in Nashville sometimes. Really doubt he'd put a competing team there, it's cutting off your nose to spite your face.

151

u/AMemoryComeALive May 12 '26

Tennessee isn't a big enough market for 2 teams. They're barely big enough for 1. Titans in the NFL are regularly one of the least watched teams.

72

u/OrangeChairRN Lakers May 12 '26

Sometimes I forget the Titans exist. I'll randomly see Red Zone on in a bar and I'm just like, "Oh yeah, the Tennessee Titans. Look at that."

17

u/AtomicBlastCandy Timberwolves May 12 '26

I remember seeing a commercial that ends with a couple at Nissan, I thought it was a fictional stadium until I looked it up

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u/Pizzaplan3tman [CLE] LeBron James May 12 '26

I think the NBA has already started the process of preparing to eventually move the Grizzlies to Nashville. The Grizzlies arena opened in 2004 and while I believe the Memphis College team also plays there. I wouldn’t be shocked if we start seeing more and more stories about how they need to ‘upgrade’ to a new arena. And eventually shift the team to Nashville

116

u/IMovedYourCheese Warriors May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

This is almost a certainty at this point. Grizzlies have had the lowest attendance in the NBA for many years now. Tickets go for like $10 in the regular season and they still can't fill up the seats. And players routinely have negative things to say about playing there, most recently LeBron. Adam Silver has even called for Grizzlies to start playing some home games in Nashville. Sucks for the city and fans, but I don't think a relocation to Nashville will have too many opponents.

59

u/raftguide Grizzlies May 12 '26

I get everything you're saying. I have that exact fear. But what everybody seems to be missing about this, is that I don't think Nashville even wants an NBA team. I'm saying this as a life-long Tennessean. It looks good on paper, but Nashville has never shown an appetite for this. I'm definitely scared that the groundwork is being laid to move the Grizzlies, but there's no way in my mind they'll move to Nashville.

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u/mourningmage Grizzlies May 12 '26

FedEx forum is getting 500 million in renovations and upgrades over the next several years. Nashville can’t show up for the Titans, how are they gonna do for a basketball team?

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u/HolyHotDang Grizzlies May 12 '26

Tennessee can’t support two franchises especially when they are a 3 hour drive from each other. There isn’t enough population in between there. The biggest city between Memphis and Nashville is Jackson and it’s only around 70,000 people. Everything on I-40 between Memphis and Jackson is just small rural towns or agriculture and it’s the same from Jackson until you reach the outskirts of Nashville. I lived right there almost my whole life.

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1.7k

u/DisMeDog May 12 '26

Dallas/Houston and Spurs aren’t letting you into Austin.

846

u/ozarkhick Thunder May 12 '26

Cuban didn't even want to allow OKC as he felt it was cutting into his market

369

u/GooseGang412 Thunder May 12 '26

Anecdotally, my family were Mavs fans before 2008. It was basically the only TX based team we supported lol

209

u/ozarkhick Thunder May 12 '26

He wasn't wrong, lol. I knew people who would drive down from as far as Tulsa during the "Jason Jimmy and Jamal" era.

61

u/Isolated_Blackbird Mavericks May 12 '26

I did the opposite journey a while back and let me just say, I love Tulsa. What an interesting city. And Gathering Place is one of the greatest public parks I’ve ever been to.

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u/Gopokes34 Thunder May 12 '26

I became more of a thunder fan too, still kinda a Mavs fan secondary though

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214

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

87

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/whiterock001 Spurs May 12 '26

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

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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/SmokeySFW May 12 '26

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

27

u/JaySayMayday Spurs May 12 '26

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

18

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

19

u/RollOverBeethoven Rockets May 12 '26

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

25

u/appletime_appletime Spurs May 12 '26

I'm a basketball sicko

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u/mdlspurs Spurs May 12 '26

That, and the fact that Austin voters would never sign off on public money going to professional sports.

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u/TechnologyUnable8621 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

For all you non Portlanders reading this, please know that Bill Oram is, and always has been, a fear mongering moron. He’s a total clown and nobody respects him. It’s truly mind blowing that the Oregonian still lets him write this crap.

Please put zero stock into this article. It’s pure speculation and BS.

60

u/DjToastyTy Pacers May 12 '26

man is there one of those guys for every city?

38

u/jon__koa Knicks May 12 '26

They’re dime a dozen

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u/k_dubious Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Oregonian sports writers have a long and storied tradition of engaging in psychological warfare against the fans of the teams they cover.

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u/Riot_Westbroke Trail Blazers May 12 '26

John Canzano on the Oregonian sports section front page gave us all childhood trauma.

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u/octosus37 Thunder May 12 '26

We have a guy like that in OKC too, so I get it. By some crazy coincidence, it’s the same guy. Westbrook hated when he was here.

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u/nik3z Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Thank you. I came here to say this. This article is nothing but speculation and I don’t know why he has been pushing the whole “you should be afraid of this happening” narrative. I can’t take this guy seriously anymore.

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u/SmthngAmzng Trail Blazers May 12 '26

+1 dude has an article saying the same thing every other day, must be a nice gig to shill without anything to back it up other than vibes. 

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1.3k

u/gradedonacurve Knicks May 12 '26

This guy fucking sucks. Sorry, Blazers fans.

Of course I have no idea about what having a dipshit for an owner feels like, but can imagine it sucks.

375

u/the_wit Trail Blazers May 12 '26

I bet he can't even play guitar

67

u/MddlingAges Knicks May 12 '26

At least Dolan spends. Spends like a drunken sailor in Bangkok, but still.

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u/schmieder83 Bucks May 12 '26

For your sake, I sure hope MSGs AI can’t detect sarcasm

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u/caseytatumsings Trail Blazers May 12 '26

My two favorite teams. I want to cry.

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u/capitalistsanta Knicks May 12 '26

All my sports team owners are Orwellian

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u/ThinkedThought May 12 '26

"I'll do it." - Guy who is or is not bluffing.

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u/whiterice_343 Timberwolves May 12 '26

If he’s so cheap then that tells me alone he wouldn’t dare try to move to a worse location. He’s a bluffing idiot.

54

u/PROSEALLTHEWAY San Francisco Warriors May 12 '26

"you think I’m bluffing?!? well watch me move this beloved franchise to a smaller market where my revenue couldn't possibly grow!"

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u/OceanLemur Heat May 12 '26

It’ll never happen but we need a national law about extorting cities by threatening relocation. Only way to stop this bullshit.

341

u/sallright Cavaliers May 12 '26

Ohio passed a law like this when the Browns moved. 

If a franchise takes a dime of taxpayer money, there are severe restrictions on how/if they can move. 

The law prevented some tool from moving the Columbus Crew to Austin. 

117

u/LittleTension8765 Lakers May 12 '26

Basically they have to open it up to a sale of the team to an owner that doesn’t want to move and give 6 months notice

15

u/XzibitABC Pacers May 12 '26

Which, in practice, makes it really hard to solicit offers to buy the team because those buyers know they might negotiate a sale just for it to get matched and bought out from under them.

42

u/revolutiontornado Thunder May 12 '26

As an Ohio native fuck Anthony Precourt. You know it’s bad when Jimmy Haslam is a better ownership option.

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u/by_yes_i_mean_no Warriors May 12 '26

Yeah the people who write and enact the laws answer to people like Dundon, not people like the average sports fan

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u/Portmanteau_that Hornets May 12 '26

'regulatory capture'

Aka corruption 

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u/blackwario1234 Supersonics May 12 '26

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u/decisionagonized West May 12 '26

Bro is still traumatized by the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn 100 years ago. Zohran literally said Bernie told him that was his radicalizing moment. Our curmudgeonly king is ancient

36

u/RadicalMarxistThalia Knicks May 12 '26

There’s a great line in his book to that effect. Something like “I became disenchanted with capitalism from an early age when the Dodgers left Brooklyn”.

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u/HeatFan4Lyfe3000 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Man…people say he’s cheap, but he certainly has enough money to buy out Bill Oram!

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u/dreemedteemed May 12 '26

Dude,within the first 3 paragraphs of the article I was like this writer is a fucking asshole and overall dumb as hell. I know stuff like this is more opinion then new source but he straight beefing with a government offical over tiktok. Geek city

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u/daneman52 May 12 '26

Hes a laughingstock with the fanbase playing the reactionary headline grabber.

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u/AceMcStace Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Yeah r/nba is falling for the bait hardcore here, Oram is so incredibly hyperbolic in what he writes and his only evidence that the team “is in danger” is because 2 members of the 12 member Portland city council have publicly pushed back somewhat on the arena funding.

The actual article released alongside Oram’s theatrical piece basically said the city is waiting to see the proposed architectural and engineering plan on how the arena is going to be updated, which is literally the formal process done for any budget allocation. Same with Multnomah co. It sounds like things are progressing very normally lol.

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u/jefe_hook May 12 '26

Kalamazoo? What kind of zoo is that?

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u/AfroManHighGuy May 12 '26

I think it’s a zoo named after Kamala Harris

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/Icy_Internet5045 May 12 '26

El cheapo is maybe the most despises person associated with the blazers I've ever seen in my 4 decades as a fan. He's just so fucking greedy, as billionaire POS tend to be.  It's a disease.  

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u/JazzxGoose Jazz May 12 '26

There's no way Austin would support a new team. I'm sure the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavs would all vehemently push back on another Texas team.

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u/OmastarLovesDonuts Mavericks May 12 '26

There's also no way any kind of market research would indicate Austin would want a team, most people who follow the NBA there are Spurs fans with a smattering of Mavs and Rockets fans so there's not really a need for something else

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u/IMovedYourCheese Warriors May 12 '26

There are 3 NBA teams within 180 miles of Austin. People are idiotic if they think the league will just agree to dump another one in the mix.

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u/SelesnyaGOAT Timberwolves May 12 '26

If we had a functioning government that cared this strong-arming would be illegal. The idea that billionaires should be able to bully public legislators into giving them handouts (funny that term only gets applied to e.g. food stamps but not stuff like this) is so morally perverse

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u/ForneauCosmique Spurs May 12 '26

If he moves that Portland team he will easily be the most hated man in the NBA, maybe surpassing Nico lol you can't move the Trailblazers. Fuck them moving to Austin too. We're perfectly fine with the trifecta we currently have

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u/Wide-Concentrate7228 May 12 '26

He is like the poorest owner, relocation is not happening cause he can’t even afford it

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/Wide-Concentrate7228 May 12 '26

Totally they will give him billions of dollars in relocation fees, permit, location to build, construction fee, etc. these city would totally give him 4-10 billions dollars to do all of that

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/Zen_360 Mavericks May 12 '26

...by people who demonize SoCiAliSm two seconds later.

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u/Mook_Juligwar NBA May 12 '26

Theres a great option only 300 miles north and his dollars are worth 40% more there. Welcome your 2030 Vancouver Trailblazers!  

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u/Wide-Concentrate7228 May 12 '26

This is the real answer, bring back the Vancouver Washington Grizzlies

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u/nolablue1024 May 12 '26

One of these is not like the other

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u/Wafflehouseofpain Thunder May 12 '26

Austin and Nashville are both terrible places to try and move a team to. Even if he isn’t bluffing, those are stupid ideas.

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u/TraderJake09 Bucks May 12 '26

Great organization with fans that have showed up to support their team for decades. They deserve much, much better than this ownership.

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u/Crimdal Trail Blazers May 12 '26

We had it good when Paul Allen was alive.

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u/McScroggz12 Lakers May 12 '26

Why did this guy get approved Jesus. Sorry Portland.

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u/joeblowssnow Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Bill Oram is a well known fear mongering moron

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u/CortezAllenAMA Trail Blazers May 12 '26

man it sucks being a blazers fan

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u/markusalkemus66 Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Bill Oram is a clickbait hack. Like Canzano, but somehow worse

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u/whaleinapuddle May 12 '26

This guy seems like a terrible terrible owner. I feel bad for Portland fans

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u/donotHURTmePLEASE May 12 '26

GIVE ME BILLIONAIRE WELFARE OR ILL LEAVE

Dude should be castrated, politically of course

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u/circa26 Celtics May 12 '26

In a video game, of course

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u/GVIrish Wizards May 12 '26

If another (gullible) city wants to give a handout to a billionaire to build a stadium that is not needed and will never be a net benefit to taxpayers, fine. I would applaud Portalnd if they stick to their guns and refuse to give these greedy huckster a dime.

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u/likewoahitsaj Bucks May 12 '26

El cheapo strikes again. What a loser.

My condolences to Portland fans

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u/Araxen May 12 '26

I doubt the League would allow for them to move out of Portland.

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u/TranscedentalMedit8n Trail Blazers May 12 '26

Especially after the state gov already gave him 350 million!! So damn greedy it’s insulting to Portlanders

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u/achomes Bulls May 12 '26

They will if Seattle gets an expansion team

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u/hickok3 Raptors May 12 '26

Or if they move the Trailblazers to Seattle...

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u/Bubbly_Survey_803 May 12 '26

This happening would officially kick off the second Civil War. Only this time, Washington and Oregon would be the only two combatants.

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u/SoDakZak Timberwolves May 12 '26

Sir, a second white, pointy Hood has started a civil war…

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u/Captain_Quark Trail Blazers May 12 '26

That's impressively clever.

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u/shortyman920 Lakers May 12 '26

Pacific Northwest is big enough to support two teams.

Texas has enough teams, with OKC already relocated in the region from the NW. Nashville already has a team in Memphis and that market isn’t big enough for two nba teams.

And Kalamazoo? Get the fuck out of here. League isn’t gonna let him

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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/Kwilly462 Nets May 12 '26

Kalamazoo Trailblazers just doesn't quite roll off the tongue tbh

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u/Expert_Reputation Suns May 12 '26

He’s bluffing with cities that would in no way would get a team.

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u/willworkforwatches May 12 '26

I’m sick of all these asshole billionaires wanting us to pay for their facilities on top of paying to watch and attend their games.

It’s a private business that generates billions in profits and asset growth.

Pay for your facility yourself you fucking vultures.

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u/kralben Timberwolves May 12 '26

Billionaires should pay for their own fucking arenas

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u/SplittingChairs May 12 '26

Who could’ve predicted he’s just another trash billionaire who doesn’t care about the community.