This is everything wrong with modern sports ownership, folks. Everything.
New Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon is reportedly ready to relocate the franchise - a team that's been in Portland for 55 years - if the city doesn't meet his demands on arena negotiations. And according to sources, he's not bluffing.
Nashville. Austin. Even Kalamazoo. Those are the cities being floated as potential destinations for a team that generations of Portland fans have loved and supported.
Let me be crystal clear about something: Tom Dundon has a track record, and it's ruthless. This isn't some hollow threat from an owner trying to get leverage. This is a billionaire who has shown he'll do exactly what he says he'll do.
But here's what drives me crazy - Portland politicians are treating this like it's a negotiating tactic. Like Dundon is crying wolf. Bill Oram's reporting makes it clear: the new owner "will not hesitate to move the franchise" if negotiations don't go his way.
Think about what that means. Fifty-five years of history. Bill Walton. Clyde Drexler. Damian Lillard. The 1977 championship. Rip City. All of it could be packed up and shipped to another city because of arena politics.
And you know what? This is a story we've seen before. The Seattle SuperSonics thought it couldn't happen to them. Look how that turned out. Seattle hasn't had an NBA team since 2008, and they're still waiting.
The negotiations have become a flashpoint. wants upgrades, wants concessions, wants the city to invest. And if he doesn't get what he wants? He's got three cities ready to roll out the red carpet.
