Last month, the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers to a group led by Tom Dundon was officially approved for a reported sum of $4.25 billion.
In recent years, several franchises have changed ownership, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. A good owner can make or break a franchise, and while Blazers fans were initially excited about the purchase, Dundon’s plans for the organization have started to surface, and they are a bit concerning.
Tom Dundon Wants to Hire Next Blazers HC for Roughly $1 Million
The Trail Blazers had been owned by the Allen family since 1988. Back then, they were purchased by the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, who remained in charge until his death, before Jody Allen took over in 2018.
However, as per his wishes, both of his teams, the Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, are now being sold with the proceeds going towards philanthropic causes, and Portland the first to go.
After months of buildup, the Blazers were purchased by a group comprised of Dundon, who has some ownership experience with the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, Sheel Tyle, the co-founder of investment firm Collective Global, Marc Zahr, co-president of Blue Owl Capital, and the Cherng Family Trust, the family office and investment firm of the co-founders of Panda Express.
Dundon’s first decision, though, isn’t a popular one across NBA circles. Blazers insider Bill Oram reported that Dundon is looking to pay around $1 million for the new head coach in Portland, roughly a quarter of the going value around the NBA.
Because he wants to go with a cheap option, he is considering college coaches and first-time head coaches who played in the league such as Jared Dudley and Royal Ivey, whom he believes would take less. Immediately, the NBA world criticized this decision.
One of the most respected sports columnists from the Oregon area, Dwight Jaynes, who previously also worked with NBC Sports, made his anger perfectly clear on X.
“I have said this all along. He doesn’t value coaches much, apparently. Trust me, if a coach accepts that paltry stipend, agents and other coaches will be up in arms,” Jaynes wrote. “They don’t want the floor lowered like that. $4 million [is] the going rate for [a] rookie HC.”
But Jaynes wasn’t isolated in his critique.
“I know a budding Vivek when I see one,” one influencer wrote, referencing vilified Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé. “Sorry Blazers, dark times are ahead.”
For others, this first step from Dundon was a major red flag. “Ownership remains the most important factor in being a successful franchise,” Eric Sperlazza of Sports Illustrated wrote.
Others, like John Walton of Louisiana First News, were perplexed by the price range: “Even the low-end coaches are paid $4M-5M per year.”
The report was so baffling that not everyone was buying it.
“Think it’s hilarious that the same guy who posted an article saying the Blazers were ‘good as gone’ a few months ago is the same guy pushing a narrative that Dundon is going to be severely cheap. I wouldn’t buy too much into that,” said the host of the “503ForTheFans Podcast.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that Dundon is going to pay a coach barely 1 million dollars,” one commentator added. “They’re probably in the market speaking with cheap candidates but I don’t see them saying ‘not going over a mil a season’ while at the same time saying he is wants to win and compete.”
It remains to be seen if this report is accurate or if it’s simply the Blazers trying to get some leverage in contracts talks with interim head coach Tiago Splitter. If true and this is actually how Dundon plans to run the Blazers, it’s certainly a red flag.
