Adam Silver does not want the Trail Blazers leaving Portland.
That, the NBA Commissioner said on Tuesday, would be considered a “failure.”
“I would see it as a failure if we did not keep the team in Portland,” Silver said, via KATU’s Guillermo Motta. “I’ve spent a lot of time in that community over hte years, they’ve shown amazing support for the Trail Blazers … We need a state of the art arena. I think by any objective measure, the current building there is in the bottom measure of any arena in the league.”
The Trail Blazers were purchased earlier this year by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, who landed the team from the estate of late owner Paul Allen. The team was sold at a valuation of more than $4 billion.
Since then, Dundon has been in negotiations for massive renovations on the Moda Center, the city-owned arena at the Trail Blazers lease to play their home games at. Framework for a deal that would have brought more than $586 million had been agreed to by Oregon, Portland and Multnomah County, according to The Athletic, but terms have still not been agreed to with the city and the county.
There is a city council vote scheduled for December, but the $365 million that Oregon has committed to the project will expire at the end of the year. If the deal is reached, the Trail Blazers will agree to a 20-year extension on the lease that would keep them there through 2050. If it’s not, their future in the city after the current deal expires after 2030 is very much in doubt.
“It’s my hope that we can lower the temperature, honestly, a bit in these negotiations,” Silver said.
The Moda Center is one of the most outdated arenas in the league, and is undoubtedly due for major renovations — especially now with the WNBA’s Portland Fire calling it home, too. According to The Athletic, it’s the “behind-the-scenes” areas of the arena that need the most work, including loading docks, locker rooms and more.
There is speculation that Dundon would move the team out of Portland if a new arena deal isn’t reached. Where they would go, however, is still unknown. The NBA is still talking about expanding in both Seattle and Las Vegas, Silver confirmed on Tuesday, and there is already a team in North Carolina, where Dundon’s other franchise is located.
“It is my hope and belief that the Trail Blazers can be successful in Portland, Oregon,” Silver said. “It is important at the same time that Tom Dundon reaches a deal with the city officials and the state elected officials that makes operating in Portland viable for the long term.”
Regardless, the NBA wants things in Portland to be settled sooner rather than later. Relocation for the Trail Blazers is not something Silver wants to see happen.
But whether or not his comments on Tuesday do anything for negotiations in Portland, however, remains to be seen.
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